Sheriff deputy pulls burning truck away from nearby house

COLUMBUS, Ind. — Quick thinking by a Bartholomew County Sheriff deputy helped prevent a truck fire from spreading to a nearby house.

Deputies Sgt. Andrew Dougan and Sgt. Jarod Aspenson were sent to the 5000 block of Brush Creek Drive at 3:08 a.m. Tuesday about a vehicle fire.

Deputies located a truck burning just a few feet from a residence. When attempts to extinguish the fire with fire extinguishers were unsuccessful, Dougan used his assigned truck with a tow strap to pull the burning vehicle away from the residence so flames would not spread to the house.

Andrew Dougan Submitted photo
Andrew Dougan Submitted photo

Columbus Township Fire Department and Elizabethtown Fire Department arrived and quickly extinguished the fire, saving most of the personal items inside.

This is not the first time that Dougan has had to fight a fire while on duty. In November, 2018, Dougan, along with Deputy Robert Cooper, crawled through heavy smoke to save a man from his burning home.

Dougan and Cooper received Awards of Valor by Indiana State Fire Marshal James Gregson for their efforts.

“Many Bartholomew County areas rely on volunteer fire departments for their fire protection”, said Bartholomew County’s Chief Deputy Major Chris Lane. “Our deputies often work alongside our volunteer firefighters and we greatly appreciate their service”,  Lane said.

For more on this story, see Wednesday’s Republic.