Montgomery Co. deputies speak about saving children from house fire

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - Two Montgomery County deputies are sharing their stories after bravely rescuing two children from a burning home on Monday.

“I can’t just stand back and hear somebody cry for help and not do anything,” Deputy Zach Fortner said.

Fortner was at a wreck when a call came in about a house fire on Briarwood Road. When he arrived, he could see smoke coming from the house and heard children screaming.

“I kicked the front door in at first, but it was extremely hot. It was way too hot, too smoky, to go in,” Fortner said.

Fortner said he went to the back of the house and used a ladder to climb in the window. Deputy Cody Evans was also there.

Evans stayed close to the window and used his voice to help guide Fortner.

“I kept losing sight of them. I tried to shine my flashlight for whatever reason, but that didn’t work,” Evans said. “I just kept calling out for him so he knew where the window was and he knew where to bring the kids.”

Fortner brought the first child out and went back in for the second. He navigated through the smoke and found him.

“The second one, it looked like he was already passed out, so I don’t know how much longer they would’ve waited in that house,” Evans said.

Today, both deputies are grateful they arrived before it was too late and hope they will be able to reunite with the children one day soon.

“I got kids of my own so I couldn’t imagine anything like that happening,” Fortner said.

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