Family names puppy after deputy who saved them from fire

ANDERSON COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – An Upstate family named their puppy after a deputy who saved them from a fire.

Anderson County Deputy Mitch Minto was driving down Centerville Road on May 2 when he saw a cloud of black smoke.

The deputy drove closer, got out and started running toward the flames by clearing multiple fences and ranning through several acres.

Minto said the structure was fully engulfed when he noticed a kid’s slide melting away.

“My heart kind of sank and it kind of made me run faster,” Deputy Minto said.

The homeowner said she was asleep at the time of the fire and all she heard was banging at the front door.

When she answered the door, the deputy told her the outbuilding was on fire and they needed to get out of the house.

The homeowner grabbed her son and ran away from the house with the deputy.

Deputy Minto said when they got to a safe spot, the homeowner said her dog and multiples puppies were in the outbuilding where the fire was.

The Anderson County Sheriff’s Office said only one puppy survived.

He was named Minto after the deputy who pulled his family to safety.

“The Lord put me in the right place at the right time,” Deputy Minto said.

“Thank you over and over again. I feel like he definitely saved our lives,” the homeowner said.

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