Wisconsin men pull neighbor from burning home: 'He would've done the same'

Two northwestern Wisconsin men are credited with saving a neighbor's life by pulling him from his burning home.

Firefighters arrived at the home in Northwoods Beach – 12 miles southeast of Hayward – to find Mike Remmert unconscious and suffering from smoke inhalation, Northland's News Center reports.

But Remmert was no longer inside the home, thanks to neighbors Brad Runion and Adam Martin.

Runion told Northland's NewsCenter when he approached the building, he could hear Remmert wheezing inside. So Runion went in after him, crawling under thick black smoke until he found Remmert.

Unable to pull him out alone, Runion tells the station he called for help from Martin and together the pair got Remmert to safety.

The Duluth News Tribune says Runion was also checked at a hospital for smoke inhalation.

In his interview with Northland's NewsCenter, Runion said of his neighbor: "I think Mike would have done the same for me if it would have happened. It's hard to explain when you hear someone wheezing, that you know is alive. It's just natural instinct to try to help."

Bass Lake Fire Chief Marvin Mullet tells the station he does not recommend running into a burning building, but adds that Monday night's heroic action by Runion and Martin likely saved Remmert's life.

The News Tribune says Remmert was in serious condition Tuesday at Hennepin County Medical Center.

Mullet tells the newspaper 14 firefighters responded to the blaze, which apparently started on the kitchen stove.

[Editor's note: Hennepin County Medical Center confirmed for BringMeTheNews the spelling of Remmert's name. He was misidentified in the Northland's NewsCenter report referenced above.]