Delivery person saves family, pets after seeing house on fire, Georgia officials say
Newspaper delivery woman Kim Sarver’s quick thinking in the early hours of the morning of Jan. 4 may have saved the lives of parents, children and animals, Georgia officials say.
Sarver was making her delivery rounds for a paper in Richmond Hill in the early morning when she spotted smoke billowing from a family’s garage, according to WJCL. She quickly called 911 and went up to the home, banging on the door to warn the family.
Three adults, four children, four dogs, six cats and two bunnies lived inside. Nearly everyone survived, except for one cat, WJCL reported.
Even with the loss of the feline, Bryan County Fire & Emergency Services Chief Freddy Howell said it was the best possible outcome.
“Everything concerning the response worked out well,” he said in a news release. “The notification and response were quick and everyone got out of the house.”
The emergency officials stated they were well aware of Sarver’s lifesaving actions, especially when they discovered that the residence’s smoke alarms weren’t working properly.
“Smoke alarms save lives and they do,” Howell told WJCL. “This is a prime example where a smoke alarm would have benefited those people and just so happens that Kim was their smoke alarm this morning.”
Responders were able to contain the fire to the garage, and believe it may have been ignited by embers from a backyard fire pit, according to the release.
BCES plans to recognize Sarver’s quick decisions in an upcoming Bryan County Commission meeting, noting that she not only called authorities but also helped the family out of the home, officials said.
Briana Bateman, who lives in the house, told WJCL that she hopes Sarver will come forward so the family can thank her. “I’d love for you to get in touch with us because we want to hug you and thank you,” Bateman said. “I mean thank you isn’t enough.”
BCES said the event is a good reminder for people to check their fire alarms or install them if they haven’t already.
The Batemans have been connected with the Red Cross to support the family following the fire, according to the department.
“It broke my heart. I am so glad they got up,” Sarver told Howell in a thank-you call.
According to the BCES, the cause of the fire is under investigation, and there were no injuries reported.
Richmond Hill is about 20 miles southwest of Savannah.
This story was originally published January 6, 2022 at 3:51 PM with the headline "Delivery person saves family, pets after seeing house on fire, Georgia officials say."
