FOND DU LAC COUNTY, Wis. — A deputy with the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office helped extinguish a fire and rescue a dog that was trapped in a burning apartment building in late August, according to Sheriff Ryan Waldschmidt.

The sheriff’s office says Deputy Jason Bruggink was on patrol on Thursday, Aug. 31, when he heard fire crews were being dispatched to a fire that broke out at a multi-unit apartment complex along Ledgewood Drive. Bruggink, who was nearby at the time, responded to the call and after arriving on scene, he entered the burning building and battled the blaze using his fire extinguisher.

Authorities say two other deputies then arrived on the scene and helped the residents get out of the building. After all of the apartment’s residents were accounted for, Bruggink went back into the building to try and extinguish the fire that had spread into the attic, according to Sheriff Waldschmidt. During his second entry into the home, Bruggink rescued a dog and reunited it with its owner.

After fire crews arrived on the scene, officials say Bruggink was able to provide specific information regarding the location and spread of the fire to that helped crews access and extinguish the blaze, saving the structure, according to the sheriff’s office.

Fond du Lac County fire officials told the sheriff’s office that if Bruggink had not stepped in, the fire would have likely spread and destroyed a significant portion of the building.