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Sergeant rescues neighbor, controls house fire

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman David Salanitri
  • Air Force Special Operations Command Public Affairs
HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. --  "It was simply a reaction to an emergency situation," said Tech. Sgt. Timothy Lemons after using his training to react to a real-world emergency.

It was a normal Friday evening, March 19, when Sergeant Lemons, 623rd Air Operation Component, was alerted to the smoke coming out of his neighbors Gary and Bonnie Canter's house.

"My first thought was to get to the house and help," said Sergeant Lemons. "As I made my way over, I saw the smoke coming from the front of the house. I noticed Gary's car was there, but I didn't see Bonnie or Gary out front, so I had to get inside. I tried going in through the garage because I didn't see any smoke coming from that part of the house."

The garage door was open, but the entry door to the house was locked, so Sergeant Lemons had to go in through the front door, where he saw the smoke coming from. It was here he found Bonnie, 59, trying to make her way to the door.

"This worked out because I was able to see the fire, assess the situation and make the determination to do something about it," he said. "As I got Bonnie to the front door she informed me that Gary was down the street at her parents' house, so I knew that she was the only person in the house."

With the Canters safely out of the house, Sergeant Lemons wasn't done yet.

As Sergeant Lemons' wife, Amanda, helped Bonnie out to the driveway, the neighbors showed up with a fire extinguisher, a tool that as an MC-130H/W loadmaster is in Lemons' career development training.

"I grabbed the extinguisher and went back in to try to put out the fire while the neighbors were on the phone with 911," said Sergeant Lemons.

The Cantner's house sustained about $120,000 in damage, according to Mary Esther Fire Chief Ron McArtor.

Sergeant Lemons was recognized by the Mayor and Fire Chief of Mary Esther March 29, at the Mary Esther City Hall for his courageous actions.

On that Friday, it was all about timing.

"If another 30 seconds had gone by, the entire situation could have turned out extremely different," said Sergeant Lemons. "I'm glad I was able to help and am glad that Gary and Bonnie did not lose everything. I'm thankful that everything worked out for the best. Sometimes miracles do happen."