BRONSON, MI (WTVB) – An accidental fire in a piece of machinery over the weekend in Branch County’s Matteson Township left a father and his young son with severe burns in the blaze that engulfed a skid steer loader they were using on their property on Lindley Road. The Bronson Fire Department found the loader in flames in the driveway when they arrived around 3:45 p.m. Saturday afternoon.
LifeCare medics were on scene treating Andrew Hemker and his son. The father was flown by Samaritan helicopter to the Bronson Burn Center in Kalamazoo where the 5-year old boy was taken by ground ambulance. Both today were listed in critical condition at Bronson hospital.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.