Heroes of the Heartland: Dike man honored for heroism after saving neighbors from house fire

DIKE – At about 10 o’clock at night in the midst of the bitterly cold January winter, Dike resident Todd Joslin was roused from sleep when his dog began to bark.
 
Initially he brushed it off, but the incessant barking continued. Fearing that the noise would wake their children, Todd and his wife got up, and went to check on the dog.
 
When they glanced out the window where their dog was barking, the couple noticed that something wasn’t quite right next door; their neighbor’s house was on fire.
 
Instantly, Todd went into action mode.
 
After telling his wife to call 911, he rushed across the yard and up to the front door of the house belonging to his neighbors Chris Bakken, wife Stacy, and their three children.
 
Todd noticed Chris’s vehicle wasn’t in the garage, but knew that Stacy and the kids would be at home asleep.
 
Running into the house, he began banging on the walls in an effort to wake up the sleeping family.
 
“I didn’t even think about it, I just went in,” Todd said. “It’s not who I am to just stand there. If something would’ve happened to them, I couldn’t have that hanging over my head; I had to go in and try to help. Plus, I’m a nurse and used to be a volunteer with the Dike Fire Department, so I sort of knew what I was dealing with.”
 
By then, the smoke was at knee level, and the flames had spread to the side of house and were engulfing the roof.
 
“It was completely silent in the house, except for the roaring of the fire,” Todd said. “I kept yelling and screaming for them to get out, and banging on the walls and the fridge. At that point, the electricity had gone out and the house was pitch black, except for the light from the fire.”
 
All of a sudden, two of the children emerged from the basement, and Todd helped them outside to safety, where a group of neighbors had gathered outside across the street.
 
Knowing that Stacy and another child were still inside, Todd went back into the house. By then, the fire had grown, and the house was covered in a thick, black smoke.
 
Yelling up the stairs, Todd tried to get the attention of the last two family-members in the house, but received no answer...
 
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