GPS detour leads driver to save 14 people from Georgia house fire

Fourteen members of the Burke family escaped a total house fire on the night of Oct. 17, an outcome officials attribute to a motorist who arrived by accident. Casey Sparks, a 37-year-old welding equipment repairman, discovered the blaze after his global positioning system repeatedly directed him onto Georgia State Route 114. The error placed him on a path he had not previously traveled, leading him to the Lyerly area, approximately 60 miles south of Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Sparks was driving home from a softball game in Dalton, Georgia, to Concord, Alabama. He recalled resetting his navigation device two or three times because it consistently suggested the same route. He eventually accepted the detour. While cresting a hill, he observed a glow in the distance that resembled a large bonfire. He drove toward the light and found a teenage boy attempting to extinguish flames with a garden hose. Sparks determined the effort was futile because the entire front of the structure was already engulfed.

Before entering the home, Sparks instructed his 13-year-old son to call 911. He then rushed inside to wake the occupants. Tim Deberry, the Lyerly Fire Chief, noted that the family was in the beds and living room. Deberry stated that the individuals had likely five minutes remaining before the fire became fatal. Sparks found a young girl in a hospital bed and carried her out through a secondary exit. He handed her over a fence to a neighbor before returning inside to assist the others.

The household included James Burke, 58, his wife Larita, their 11 adopted children, and one grandchild. Burke described waking to find Sparks in his living room urging him to leave. The family sustained no injuries, although their home at 28 Rowlls Road was completely destroyed. Firefighters arrived at 11:58 p.m. to find the structure fully involved in flames.

Sparks described the moment as a rush of adrenaline rather than fear. He cited Southern customs of neighborly assistance as his motivation. He now views the navigation error as a fortunate accident. Burke expressed gratitude for the driver, noting that the detour brought him to the exact location at the precise time. Burke stated that he had been asleep in a recliner when the stranger arrived to rouse him and his family.