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ICC News

Inspector to Be Honored for Courage in Saving a Life

[Source: http://www.goupstate.com | August 18, 2008]

The County Council of Spartanburg, South Carolina, recognized one of its own employees for helping save the life of an elderly woman in a house fire last month.

The County Council honored William "Buck" Kirby, a 48-year-old county building codes inspector. Kirby was retrieving his newspaper from in front of his home July 27 in Whitney when he saw smoke coming from his neighbor's house.

Kirby went to the rear of the house and saw flames. He was afraid his neighbor, GiGi Garrett, was still in bed because he knew she usually slept late.

"I knocked on the front door; banged on it," Kirby said. "She wouldn't come to the door. I kicked in the front door, and she had woken up by then. I told her the house was on fire and got her out of there."

The house was a total loss, but Garrett was not injured. Firefighters determined the blaze began in her sunroom due to an electrical malfunction. Garrett said the story could have turned out much worse if Kirby had not woken her up.

Kirby said he doesn't know what was going through his mind at the time. "I didn't know what was on the other side of the door, whether she was already dead," he said. "It scared me so bad. I just kicked in the door."

Kirby's supervisor, county Building Codes Director Mike Padgett, called the act a heroic deed. "He was at home on his off time, and it was a courageous thing for him to do," he said.

[Original Release: http://www.goupstate.com/article/20080818/NEWS/808180319]