Off-Duty Deputy Who Helped Fire Escape Did 'What Anyone Would Do'

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The off-duty Gwinnett County Sheriff’s deputy who helped members of a Buford family escape an intense Sunday fire said he just “did the same thing anyone else would do.”

Deputy Kyle McMinn was credited with helping two people down a ladder from the upper deck of a home on Westbrook Street that was engulfed in flames.

No one was injured in the 5 p.m. fire.

• Also on Patch: Deputy Helps As 3 Escape Intense Sunday Fire in Buford

According to a sheriff’s office news release, McMinn and his pregnant wife were driving through Buford Sunday afternoon when he saw heavy smoke nearby. He didn’t hear sirens, so he drove to the location and found the house on fire.

At the back of the house he saw a woman and a male on the deck, and a second man with a ladder to help them down.

“The woman carried an oxygen tank with her and appeared to have difficulty moving swiftly down the ladder,” the sheriff’s office reported. “Deputy McMinn assisted in quickly getting her down the ladder, with the second male subject following closely behind her,” and then led them to a safe area away from the house.

The 5 p.m. fire was so intense, firefighters had to battle it from the exterior. Gwinnett Fire said the second floor of he home collapsed and the two-story home was a total loss.

McMinn, who declined to be interviewed, said in a statement through the sheriff’s office: “I feel that I did the same thing anyone else would do. I will always do anything in my capacity to help others, which is why I entered the law enforcement profession. I’m just glad that this family is okay.”

McMinn has been with the Gwinnett sheriff’s office since 2011.

“The fact that he took the time to investigate the source of the smoke, even while off duty, speaks volumes about this deputy’s desire to serve others. I’m proud of him,” Sheriff Butch Conway said in a statement.

Photo: Deputy Kyle McMinn; GCSO photo