Four school buses filled with middle and high school students were involved in a crash on Indiana 13, north of North Webster on Wednesday afternoon.An off-duty Churubusco firefighter driving to Fort Wayne on Friday night came upon a burning house on U.S. 33 and rescued a man inside, a fire official said.
After reporting the blaze, the firefighter opened the front door and discovered the man lying just inside, Washington Township Fire Chief Brian Gillett said.
“That fireman from Churubusco pulled him out here on the driveway and advised that we needed paramedics,” Gillett said.
Medics took the man, the only resident of the home, to a hospital in serious condition, Gillett said. The man’s identity was not released.
At least five fire departments were dispatched about 7:30 p.m. to the house at 7621 U.S. 33 between O’Day and Johnson roads.
Gillett said the flames brought down a power line that kept firefighters from reaching the front of the house until a utility crew came to shut off the electricity. The frigid temperatures also hindered firefighters, he said.
The fire heavily damaged the house and burned a pickup truck in the driveway. Shortly before 10 p.m., the fire was well under control but the structure continued to smoke. The cause was not immediately known.
U.S. 33 was closed as firefighters battled the blaze. One lane had opened by 10 p.m.
