BUNNELL, Fla. – A Flagler County Sheriff's Office civil clerk is being commended for helping a family safely escape a home that caught fire Tuesday morning.
Ashlie Hicks was driving to work around 8:14 a.m. when she noticed smoke coming from a home on East Lambert Street and called 911 to report that the porch was fully engulfed in flames.
Recommended Videos
Three adults were sleeping inside the residence, unaware of the fire. Hicks banged on the doors until she woke them up.
"Your house is on fire, you have to come out. Come out the back door," Hicks can be heard saying in a 911 call.
Hicks helped the residents get out of the home as she remained on the line with a 911 operator who had help on the way.
“Without Ashlie stepping in, there could have been a much different outcome,” Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said. “Thankfully Ashlie used her experience as a dispatcher to help those in need despite the dangerous conditions. She very well could have saved three lives today. We are proud of her.”
Deputies said the fire started on the porch and spread through the rest of the home. It was extinguished by 8:38 a.m.
The American Red Cross is assisting the family who lived at the home.