STARKE, Fla. — According to the Bradford County Sheriff’s Office, on Tuesday, Feb. 14 at around 6:30 a.m., deputies responded to a residential fire near West Madison Street and South Epperson Street in Starke. Starke police were already on scene when BCSO deputy Robert Malley arrived.
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There, a home was fully engulfed with visible flames shooting out of the roof. Officer J. Raulerson from SPD was already on scene and attempting to force open the front door of the home.
Read: Duplex house fire leaves two families without a home
Deputy Malley, who had previously served for 18 years as a fire medic, kicked in the door and entered the home. Once inside he made contact with a woman on the lower floor. He was able to escort her out of the residence without issue.
Upon hearing that there was another person upstairs, deputy Malley reentered the home and rushed upstairs as quickly as possible. He went door-to-door before finding out that another woman was trapped inside a locked bedroom.
The deputy heard her screams but she was unable to get out. Deputy Malley was finally able to talk the woman into unlocking the door and exiting the bedroom where she was also escorted down the stairs and outside of the burning home.
City of Starke and Bradford County Fire Rescue quickly responded to the blaze and evaluated those who were removed from the home. They were all medically cleared with no major injuries.
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The Bradford County Sheriff’s Office wanted to publicly thank Deputy Malley and the immediate actions off the first responders involved. Thanks to their quick response and training there were no casualties resulting from the fire.