Candler Co. deputies rescue dogs from house fire

CANDLER COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC) - Two Candler County deputies rescued a family’s two dogs from a fire Saturday afternoon.

Bodycam video captured how they sprang into action and risked burns themselves to save the pets. The deputies who made the rescue on Harper Road say they’ve never had one like this, but they have to be ready for anything at a moment’s notice.

They came here from a 911 call of an explosion and found three separate fires of a car, an RV and one other. For the first few minutes, smoke blocked what was out back.

“The wind shifted and the smoke went in another direction, as a result, I saw movement behind the RV,” said Capt. Jamey O’Brien with Candler Co. Sheriff’s Office.

One of them grabbed a pair of bolt cutters from the fire fighters. Both had to navigate around everything in the back yard. But they felt the heat more as they got closer.

“I was like “if I’m hot this far away, these two dogs have to be cooking alive,” said Dep. Elliot Coursey with Candler Co. Sheriff’s Office.

Coursey unbuckled one dog’s collar. O’Brien freed the other from a wire crate. You can see him struggle with the hot metal wiring. Both say they’ve gotten community praise since the sheriff’s office posted the video to social media.

“We deal with fires. We deal with dog calls daily. But the two together, not.”

According to deputies, the owners surrendered the dogs to foster care. They’re being treated and are on the mend.

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