PRAIRIEVILLE, La. (BRPROUD) – The Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office (APSO) on Thursday recognized two deputies who courageously stepped in to save the employees of a Prairieville business from a potentially fatal fire.
According to APSO, it was the evening of Monday, May 9 when Cpl. Matthew Johnson and Dy. 1st Class Cameron Borne were patrolling an area along Highway 44 in Prairieville and spotted smoke coming from a nearby business.
Their inspection of the premises revealed that the back of the building was engulfed in flames.
The deputies called for assistance from the local fire department and then jumped into action by making their way into the business, alerting employees about the fire, and then helping them to exit the building.
The deputies didn’t stop there, officials say.
They grabbed a fire extinguisher and fought the blaze until firefighters arrived.
The business owner was grateful for their heroic actions and issued a statement, saying, “We wanted to express our gratitude for deputies like Matt Johnson and Cameron Borne, who are observant and go beyond their call of duty to help their community. We hope that they will receive some recognition so that we may show the community what fine personnel that we have serving our community. Thank you for hiring such fine deputies. We appreciate everything that the department does for Ascension Parish.”
APSO, likewise, praised the deputies, saying, “Due to their exceptional work and dedication, our deputies saved several people from a potentially fatal incident. They also helped reduce the damage the fire may have caused to surrounding businesses.”