It was nothing but hugs of appreciation for Tyrone Police Sgt. Eric DeLoose by homeowner Sandra Mallory Thursday afternoon. The alert DeLoose while on patrol on Pendleton Trail Wednesday noticed the beginnings of a house fire that firefighters minutes later extinguished, saving what would have been a major structure fire and potentially the loss of Mallory’s home.
The fire apparently started as a result of three large plastic garbage containers filed with paper, rags and other combustibles that were placed next to the side of the house, Mallory said. That area of the exterior is also where an electrical panel is located.
“The fire department said that if the fire had burned another three minutes it would have been gone due to the pitch of the roof,” an animated Mallory said, then turning her comments to DeLoose. “These guys patrolling my neighborhood already gave me comfort. I’m convinced that his seeing it kept us from losing our home. We were that close to losing it. I’m very grateful to these guys. They’re my heroes.”
Chief Brandon Perkins said DeLoose noticed smoke and flames emitting from the electrical panel on the side of the home while on patrol Wednesday afternoon. After requesting fire department response over the radio, DeLoose began checking the home in the Pendleton subdivision, for anyone who may have been inside. It was later determined that the homeowners were at work at the time of the fire, Perkins said.
Perkins said the Fayette County Fire Department arrived on scene and was able to extinguish the fire, which had severely damaged a large portion of the outer siding of the home and was close to reaching the roof.
According to fire officials, the fire would have been much more significant had it gone unnoticed another five minutes or so, Perkins said.
“Thankfully, the most significant damage was limited to the outside of the residence and none of the family’s living area was affected by the fire itself,” said Perkins.
Perkins said officials on scene also noticed several oxygen bottles inside the garage just a few feet away from the origin of the fire, which could have exploded and significantly accelerated the fire had they been reached by the flames.
“The Tyrone Police Department is extremely proud of Sergeant DeLoose and his actions and we are extremely grateful of the outcome for the Mallory family,” said Perkins.
As for DeLoose, his comment on the situation was clear.
“I was in the right place at the right time,” he said with a smile.
