WESTLAKE, Ohio — Editor's note: the video in the player above is from a previous story.
UPDATE: A fundraiser has been set up for his family in effort to help the family recover from the losses caused by the fire. Visit the GoFundMe page to learn more and donate.
A Northeast Ohio restaurant owner suffered serious burn injuries while trapped in a house fire that occurred in Westlake in the early hours of the Fourth of July holiday.
The Westlake Fire Department said that it dispatched units at 12:37 a.m. on Monday following reports of a fire on the back porch of a house located at Stone Ct. Upon arriving, firefighters entered the house and rescued an adult male resident from the second floor.
Provisional Chief for the Westlake Fire Department, Michael Freeman, confirmed the man injured in the home is Dan Deagan, a restaurant owner in the greater Cleveland area.
Deagan owns Lakewood spots Humble Wine Bar, Deagan's Kitchen & Bar, and Lakewood Truck Park, as well as Dive Bar in Cleveland, with an east-side food truck establishment set to open in Beachwood in July.
Freeman said the morning of July 4, police arrived minutes before fire department units, and discovered that Deagan was trapped on the second floor where he had been asleep in the master bedroom, but they were unable to get to him.
"The fire was extensive at this time throughout the attic space, so the heat was very high," Freeman said. "Our guys were able to make it to the top of the steps, briefly grab the victim, removed him immediately. If it had gone a couple more minutes they would have never been able to get to the second floor."
Freeman said Deagan sustained serious burn injuries and was treated and transported to Metro Hospital burn center for treatment. Additionally, a Westlake firefighter sustained burn injuries to both hands during the rescue and was transported to St. John Medical Center, where he was treated and has since been released.
Another resident, a woman, was also in the home at the time of the fire, according to Freeman. She had been sleeping in the basement at the time with her dogs, who were uneasy due to the holiday fireworks. She was woken up by the fire and was able to make it out of the home to call 911.
In hearing from the community, Freeman said he has received calls inquiring about Deagan's status, and knows he is "highly thought of" in the community.
"Any injury, serious or anything, is devastating to the community," Freeman said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, and appears accidental, according to Freeman. The state fire marshal is investigating.
According to a release, fire department units from Bay Village, Rocky River, Fairview Park, North Olmsted, Lakewood, Avon, Avon Lake and North Ridgeville assisted the Westlake Fire Department with providing emergency medical transport and extinguishing the fire.
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