Slinger duplex fire extinguished with boost from police squad

A split-second decision helped save a Slinger home from a fire. Two officers were praised for their quick action. Body camera footage shows how they put out the flames.

SLINGER, Wis. - A split-second decision helped save a Slinger home from a fire. Two officers were praised for their quick action. Body camera footage shows how they put out the flames.

They were called to a duplex and saw smoke and flames on a back deck. It wasn't within reach, so they pulled up a squad and jump into action.

"It just sparked a flame right before you guys got here," said witnesses in the body camera video.

The officers tried to put it out with extinguishers, but the elevated deck was too high to reach.

"Nick, grab that other extinguisher quick," said Lt. Joe Cashin. "I’ll bring the car back."

Slinger duplex fire

Lt. Cashin, thinking quickly on his feet, jumped into his SUV squad, pulling it around to the back of the house. The other officer jumped on top and put out the flames.

"I was really concerned and really scared," said Ysenia Meyers.

Meyers lives in the attached unit and was the person who first spotted the smoke and called 911.

"I didn’t want their porch to catch on fire, but also, we live next to them, so if they’re on fire, we’re going to be next," she said.

Slinger duplex fire

Police said it was a cigarette butt not properly thrown out that sparked the flames.

SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News

"It could’ve been a total loss of the house if a neighbor wasn’t being attentive and someone called us," said Lt. Cashin. "It could’ve been way worse."

The fire was put out before firefighters arrived, a best-case scenario.

Slinger duplex fire

Luckily, the fire did not spread.

Police said oddly enough, this same duplex was lost in a fire in 2013 and was rebuilt.