Max Reinhart

The Detroit News

(TNS)

Two young brothers were rescued from the second story of their Orion Township home after it caught fire on Friday.

The Oakland County Sheriff's Office shared drone-captured video of the heroic effort on Tuesday. In the 43-second clip, sheriff's Deputy Brandon Musse can be seen positioning a trash receptacle under the boys' window, then reaching up to help them climb down to safety.

"This incident could have had a far different outcome," said Oakland County Sheriff Michael J. Bouchard in a statement. "Deputy Musse immediately recognized that every second mattered. His ability to rapidly assess the situation, improvise with the tools available and act without hesitation allowed these two young boys to escape what could have become a tragic situation."

Musse was the first deputy to arrive on scene after a 911 caller reported a fire at a home in the 2900 block of Meadowbrook Court around 4:52 p.m. Friday, authorities said.

The caller told a dispatcher that two children were trapped on the second floor. When Musse arrived, he immediately found the boys, ages 12 and 10, near an upstairs window while their home was filling with smoke.

He grabbed the nearby trash receptacle, then climbed on top of it and used it to help get the youngsters out of the burning home. The brothers were transported to Trinity Health Hospital, where they were treated for smoke inhalation, then released.

Orion Township firefighters also made a rescue, pulling the family dog out of the residence before fulling extinguishing the blaze. Bouchard credited Musse for the lives saved.

"His actions exemplify the courage, professionalism and commitment our deputies demonstrate every day," the sheriff said.

Authorities have not identified a possible cause of the fire and said the incident remains under investigation.

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