Fire Rescue: Alabama Driver Saves Georgia Family of 14

Casey Sparks was driving home from a softball tournament in Dalton, Georgia, when his GPS began issuing conflicting directions. The device repeatedly routed him toward Lyerly, a small community where he had no business being. He was not in Lyerly to visit friends or check on a relative. He was there because the car’s navigation system insisted he turn into a neighborhood he did not know. That instruction would prove decisive for the Burke family.

The Burkes were asleep in their home near Lyerly on Oct. 17. The house contained LaRita Burke, her husband James, and 12 children. Sparks noticed smoke and stopped his vehicle. He told his 13-year-old son, Cason, to call for help. Sparks then went inside the burning building alone. He found James Burke asleep in a recliner and woke him. LaRita and the children were also unconscious or sleeping in their rooms. The household included 11 adopted children and one grandchild.

Sparks did not just wake the residents. He physically carried several of the children to safety. The first child he rescued was Isabella. LaRita Burke said Isabella weighed nearly 70 pounds and could not support her own head. Sparks lifted her from a hospital bed and carried her across the yard. He placed her on a trampoline outside. He then returned inside to help the others. Older children held babies and guided younger siblings by the hand. Cason stayed outside to keep the children calm while his father worked inside. Sparks was the last person to exit the house.

The family gathered near the trampoline before moving to a field across the road. LaRita was barefoot and wearing a nightgown as she watched the firefighters arrive. Flames had already engulfed the structure. LaRita initially thought the fire was small enough that they might return to clean up. It took a few moments for her to realize the house was gone. The family had practiced fire and tornado drills previously. Smoke alarms were installed throughout the home. However, the entire family was asleep and unaware of the danger until Sparks arrived.

The loss was immediate and total. The family lost photographs, scrapbooks, Bibles, and a quilt that belonged to LaRita’s grandmother. They also lost pictures of the children’s biological families. No one in the household suffered burns or smoke inhalation. LaRita noted that many of the children are autistic and often struggle with changes in routine or unfamiliar people. A brush fire had occurred near their property two weeks earlier. That event gave the children a chance to see fire trucks and firefighters. LaRita believes that prior exposure helped them accept help during the house fire.

Both Sparks and LaRita Burke attribute their presence and the successful outcome to divine intervention. LaRita wrote on Facebook that God went before them. She credited the faith with bringing Sparks to the house at the right time. Casey Sparks told The Guardian that everything lined up for him to be there. He said there was no other explanation for how he ended up in that specific location at that specific time. The couple is now looking for a rental home where the family can stay together while they rebuild.

The Burkes are working to reassure their adopted children that they still have a permanent home. They asked for prayers for a suitable rental property. They also asked for prayers for the children to feel secure while they wait. LaRita stated that God hears their prayers. The shared belief in answered prayers is a point of connection between the rescuer and the rescued. The family is now displaced but unharmed. The home is gone. The people are together.

The incident occurred on Oct. 17. The rescue involved 14 people. The rescuer was a driver from Alabama. The rescued family lived in Georgia. The fire destroyed the structure completely. The children are safe. The parents are safe. The story is one of chance, preparedness, and action.