Fire Chief Joe Murray honored brothers Abdullah Ali Baadani, 19, and Hassen Ali Baadani, 25 on Oct. 7 who came to the aid of a burn victim on Sept. 24.

DEARBORN — On Tuesday, Oct. 7 Fire Chief Joseph Murray honored two Dearborn brothers who rushed to the aid of an injured man when a neighboring vacant house exploded. 

Murray presented citations to Abdullah Ali Baadani, 19, and Hassen Ali Baadani, 25, at the city council meeting.  

The Baadani brothers were at their home in the 5000 block of Jonathan Street, near Michigan Avenue when they heard an explosion on Sept. 24. 

Nearby, 77-year-old man had entered a late family member’s home to do some work and natural gas that had leaked into the house apparently ignited. The blast knocked most of the windows out of the home and blew a door across the street.

According to Chief Murray, the brothers encountered the man outside the house with his clothes still on fire. They helped him to the ground and used their own clothes to tamp out the flames. They stayed with the injured man and tried to keep him calm until paramedics arrived.

“In my opinion, these two gentlemen saved the life of the victim on that day,” Murray said. 

Fire officials know the gas leaked from a line to the stove, but do not know what sparked the explosion. The stove line did not meet current building codes, Murray said.

The Baadani brothers told fire marshals they knew what to do in the incident because of fire safety training they received in school.

“We are proud of those two gentlemen for what they did, and our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the victim for his speedy recovery,” Murray said.