81-Year-Old Widower Dies Trying to Rescue Dog from Mich. House Fire: 'He Didn’t Come Back Out'

Mar. 15, 2025

John Balkevitch.Photo:GoFundMe

GoFundMe

An 81-year-old widower died on Saturday after he ran back inside his burning Michigan home to try to save his beloved rescue dog.

The Roseville Fire Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Neighbor Jackie Chaviz toldThe Macomb Dailythat there was a large boom that caused other residents to leave their homes. Within seconds, the house filled with smoke before bursting into flames.

“We heard that sound and John ran outside,” she told the paper. “He must have realized his dog was still in the house, so he went back into get the dog. He didn’t come back out.”

“It’s one of those [things] you prepare for, your parents passing one day,” she said. “But you don’t prepare for them passing like this.”

According to the report, the home has been reduced to debris. A Christmas tree, some family photos and a memorial plaque honoring his wife, who died in 2020, remain. However, the family had not been able to find her ashes.

AGoFundMe campaignlaunched to help with funeral expenses shared a Facebook message from John’s other daughter Kimberly.

“My dad loved all of his furbabies,” she wrote in part.

Kimberly added that she’ll “miss our walks & talks of life. He always had my back and I will miss that.”

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“May you rest easy Dad,” wrote Kimberly, “and I pray you found peace.”

source: people.com