A South Carolina Department of Natural Resources officer is being credited with saving his elderly neighbors after their Anderson County home caught fire on Oct. 24, rushing in not once but twice to make sure both residents made it out alive. Officer Will Sutton was sitting down to dinner with his own family before his night patrol shift when his son spotted the flames next door and raised the alarm.
Sutton immediately notified dispatch, requested emergency assistance and rushed to the burning home, according to WYFF4. Inside, he located a woman he already knew was bedridden, lifted her from her bed and carried her to safety across the street.
A Second Trip Back Into the Smoke
With one neighbor safe, Sutton discovered that the second resident had gone back inside the smoke-filled house in the confusion of the moment. He went in after her, pulling her out of the home before the fire could trap her inside, the outlet reports.
Even after both neighbors were accounted for, Sutton wasn't finished. Before leaving the scene, he grabbed several irreplaceable personal belongings for the couple, including their Bible and two wedding photos, according to the same report.
Another Anderson County Fire Underscored the Stakes
Home fires have posed a serious threat to Anderson County residents in recent memory. In a separate incident reported by WYFF4, two children and a woman were rescued from a burning home on Brown Street after a fire broke out around 1:30 a.m. All three were taken to a burn center in Augusta, where they remained in serious condition, and authorities later installed 19 smoke alarms in the area following that blaze.
No details on the cause of the fire at Sutton's neighbors' home, the extent of any damage, or the condition of the two residents afterward have been released. SCDNR has credited Sutton's quick thinking with getting both neighbors out safely before the situation could worsen.
