HOLLAND, Mich. — The city of Holland says an off-duty firefighter’s quick actions prevented a serious situation from becoming a tragedy.
The off-duty firefighter was driving to an appointment just before 1:30 p.m. Friday, when she saw flames coming from a barn on Waverly Road.
She was able to determine that a lawn tractor had caught on fire and an 81-year-old man was still inside.
The city says the firefighter called 911 and protected the man from any further harm.
Fire crews from the department’s Waverly Road fire station were on scene in fewer than four minutes and they were able to get the flames under control quickly.
The fire destroyed the lawn tractor and spread to some furnishings in the barn, but the department was able to save the structure itself.
The city added that several other incidents happened in Holland Friday afternoon while fire crews battled the flames at the barn.
It says two of the department’s mutual aid partners, the Graafschap and Hamilton fire departments, were able to handle the emergency medical situations during that time.
Waverly Road shut down during the fire and the Holland Police Department handled traffic control.
