(Cherokee County Tribune) – It was just another late night shift for Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Brian Lonberg, but after receiving an alarm call Wednesday morning for a business along Cumming Highway in Canton, he noticed smoke coming from a nearby residence.
At 1:43 a.m. Lonberg quickly made a U-turn and approached the home located in the 7000 block of Cumming Highway thinking the smoke was coming from a bon-fire in the backyard of the residence, but he heard no music and saw no lights at the Canton home.
“As I pulled up to the side of the carport I noticed the back porch was pretty much fully engulfed in flames and so I got out, pretty much just started banging on their carport side door and was yelling at them,” Lonberg told the Tribune Wednesday.
The couple answered the door after Lonberg had been beating on the walls and yelling for anyone inside to vacate the residence.
“This elderly couple who opened the door were asleep with no idea what was going on,” Lonberg said. “I told them their house was on fire and they needed to get out.”
As Lonberg vacated the residents from their home, he walked to the rear of the house and realized the flames had started to catch the exterior wall on fire, he said.
“I stood by with the residents until (Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services) got there,” Lonberg said. “It’s pretty much exterior damage and the residents were able to go back into the house a few hours later.”
“(Lonberg’s) diligence played a significant role in the occupant’s safety and survival,” she said. “That was a big deal…it’s horrible to have your house burn but even more painful to be displaced and living off the kindness of relatives. It was a big win for both agencies!”
