Heroic firefighter pays off poor family’s $1K electric bill

A suburban Detroit firefighter has paid off a struggling family’s electricity bill of more than $1,000 after responding to a call at their home.

Clinton Township firefighters were called to the house Feb. 12 for a non-emergency medical call. They learned that one of the children living there needs a ventilator to breathe, but the house didn’t have electricity because the parents had fallen behind on their payments. The child had to be taken to a hospital.

The Macomb Daily, of Mount Clemens, reports that 35-year-old firefighter Ryan McCuen paid the entire $1,023 electricity bill. He says he was glad to do it and wasn’t seeking recognition.

McCuen says he didn’t think of it as “an extraordinary act,” but that he hopes it inspires others to take similar action.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.