An alert homeowner and a quick response by police is the reason a Caro man is still alive.
A homeowner on Atwater made a 911 call to village dispatch on Jan. 25 at 7:43 a.m. He said a car was on fire at a neighbor’s home.
When Lake Orion Police Officer Rob Barker arrived at the scene, he saw that oil from a Chevy Blazer was dripping from the bottom of the car and was on fire
Barker reached in to turn the vehicle off when he saw flames starting to come out from under the hood.
Inside, he saw the 33-year-old man reclined, sleeping. Parker woke him up and got him out. Less than two minutes later flames were shooting out the vehicle four and one half feet high.
Orion Township Firefighters responded to the fire and fought the blaze on the coldest day of the year, with temperatures at least minus three degrees.
According to Parker, the vehicle was totaled. Even the tops of the tires were melted.
The man wasn’t injured. He told Barker he was visiting friends near the home of the 911 caller on Atwater. He’d been out partying the night before, decided not to drive home, instead he slept in his car.
The man had been sleeping in his car for about four hours before it caught fire.
BParker said it was the quick action of the caller that saved the man’s life.