An elderly widower died Saturday in a house fire in Michigan trying to save his trapped dog — who was “his world” — after initially escaping the deadly flames moments earlier.
John Balkevitch, 81, and his dog both perished inside the burning home around 11 a.m. after neighbors who tried their own heroic rescue were unable to outrun the raging flames, witnesses said.
John Balkevitch died in a fire on Saturday. Family Distribution
A thunderous explosion rocked the Roseville neighborhood and flames quickly engulfed the home.
“I just heard screaming from my street,” neighbor Jeremy Skobler told WXYZ.
Skobler told the station that Balkevitch originally got out of the house safely, but was unable to leave her 5-year-old rescue dog, Lexie.
The dog, named Lexie, also died in the fire. Family Distribution
“He went in to find his dog,” the fire victim’s daughter, Stacie Krause, told WXYZ. “The dog is his world. He loves her very much.”
“We are a wreck. It’s one of those things that you prepare for, your parents are going to die one day,” he said.
“But you’re not ready for them to pass like this.”
The man’s wife, Marylyn, reportedly died in 2020 of a heart attack due to brain cancer.
The house was engulfed in flames following a loud explosion. Jeremy Scobler
Although souvenirs such as family photos and a commemorative plaque for Marylyn survived the fire, the family hopes her ashes will be recovered from the wreckage.
“We hope (firefighters) find them when they go through the rubble,” Krause told the station.
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
