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Pokemon Go Credited With Saving Family's Home

ROYAL OAK (CBS Detroit) While the Pokemon Go game is sweeping the country like wildfire, one couple managed to use it to put out a blaze.

Patrick Audish, 24, of Lake Orion, and Katelyn Zack, 21, of Ray Township are credited with saving a Royal Oak home while wandering around playing Pokemon. Zack and her fiancee were looking at potential wedding venues in the area and grabbed something to eat when they decided to see if they could catch any Pokemon lingering in out-of-the way corners of town.

Without the game, they wouldn't have been there.

Some Pokemon fans are walking around like zombies, glued to their phones, but Zack and Audish were paying attention to their surroundings when they noticed a deck fire in the 4100 block of Grandview.

"We saw smoke and we thought someone was barbecuing," Zack said. "When we looked closer, we saw the deck was on fire and we called for help."

The homeowners had just left for a baseball game when the incident happened.

"It was a small fire that was easily put out, but because no one was home, it could have escalated into something much bigger," said Interim Fire Chief Jim Cook, in a press release. Cigarette butts in a flower planter surrounded by wood chips near the deck are the suspected cause. Part of the deck was damaged and the screen on the back door melted.

Meanwhile, Royal Oak officials have been watching the Pokemon Go phenomenon for the past week, trying to determine if it's an opportunity or a threat. Hordes of young people have been spotted walking around the downtown, peering closely into their phones as they walk and obviously playing the game.

Nearby, the Detroit Zoo is holding a massive Pokemon Go meet-up Saturday and Sunday, with 15,000 people marking their interest on Facebook; 98.7 AMP Radio is hosting an event 4-8 p.m. Friday at Memorial Park in Royal Oak. And the Detroit Bus Company is hosting two-hour Pokemon tours that give users the choice of three cities -- Roseville, Royal Oak, and Detroit.

"There is a Pokemon Gym next to City Hall and we watch the trainers come and go all day," said Community Engagement Specialist Judy Davids. "To be honest I worry they are going to trip over something or walk in front of a car. It turns out they may not be as distracted as we think, but rather they are hyper-focused."

The game app begins with a warning that reads: "Remember to be alert at all times. Stay aware of your surroundings."

Audish and Zack definitely took that advice seriously. "As for the Royal Oak Fire Department, they are trying to figure out a way to give Katelyn, Patrick and maybe even Pikachu some type of special award," Davids said.

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