Marcus Olhauser stops house from burning

Neighborhood families shared the fun on a clear and cloudless July day as they splashed and relaxed in the swimming pool at the Lodi home of Mike and Sandy Williams.

Marcus Olhauser

Suddenly, black clouds began to form behind their house, but no one seemed to notice but little Marcus Olhauser, better known among his family and friends as “Marcus Mouse.”

The storage shed next to the Williams’ home was consumed in fire, and their house filled with dark smoke. All the windows on the side of the house shattered from the intense heat, and the roof was starting to burn.

Eight-year-old Marcus, a third-grader at St. Peter’s School, saw the thick clouds of smoke billowing and jumped out of the pool to investigate. Without creating a panic, he calmly alerted adults at poolside, who called the fire department then helped to gather stragglers in the house, shepherding them to the street.

Firefighters attributed his prompt and decisive action with preventing the spread of the fire to the attic, where damage could have been far greater.

Our Young Heroes: 2001

» Cindy Bryan
» Tatum Halligan
» Alex Haring
» Marcus Olhauser
» Montana Parafin
» Laura Youngsma