First responders who thought they needed to rescue a human from a burning home Wednesday afternoon instead safely removed two cats and two dogs.
The situation initially called in as a shed fire quickly grew intense as firefighters realized the home was on fire, and that the neighbor was certain someone was inside, said Muskegon Township Fire Chief Dave Glotzbach.
In addition, the neighbor - who called in the fire - had not realized his own garage had caught fire, Glotzbach said.
First on the scene in the 2000 block of Mill Iron Road was a Muskegon Township police officer who attempted to enter the burning structure to search for anyone trapped, Glotzbach said. Intense smoke kept him from moving very far into the home, but he was able to rescue a dog and cat, Glotzbach said.