Sniegocki and Zlotek, who resigned, could not be reached for comment at phone numbers listed for them. They denied any wrongdoing through their union, the Free Press reported.
The firefighters union, Neeley’s office and a city attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday.
Six firefighters responded to the two-alarm electrical blaze. The lawsuit says they were all informed that people were probably in the home.
Sniegocki and Zlotek entered the house. Sniegocki used a hose to fight the flames on the first floor and told Zlotek to go upstairs to conduct a search, according to the suit. Sniegocki eventually went upstairs to help Zlotek, the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit says that both firefighters exited the home and that they “thoroughly” searched the second floor. Zlotek said he used infrared equipment and thermal imaging cameras to find people “who might not be visible to the naked eye,” it says. They both told the other firefighters at the scene that the house was “all clear,” meaning no one was inside, the suit says.
“At that point, a second set of firefighters entered the home, went upstairs, and immediately found ZM, age 12, and LM, age 9, in a bedroom,” the suit says. “The firefighters found LM on the floor in the doorway of their shared bedroom; ZM was lying in the bed in that room.”
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