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TREMONTON — During the time of year when delivery drivers are in their peak season, an extra stop can change their whole route.
It happened to one FedEx driver last Friday when he made an unplanned stop and became an unlikely hero because of it.
Homeowners Darrin and Jackie Hogue were away on a shopping trip when the delivery truck driver noticed smoke coming from inside the home.
"He was in the right place at the right time," said Thatcher-Penrose Fire Chief Josh Rhees to KSL-TV.
When the man's knock at the door went unanswered, he called 911.
"It was very crucial that we got called out as quick as we did," Rhees said.
When the Hogues returned home, they found their home seriously damaged. Their furniture, walls, and handmade additions were covered in ash and many of their belongings had melted.
"It's the nightmare that everybody describes," said Darrin Hogue, who is a retired fireman.
He said they were close to losing the entire home.
"That home was within, I'm going to say, best guess, four to five minutes from just being totally involved," he said.
Both the Hogues and first responders say if the FedEx driver hadn't called 911 when he did, it's likely none of the items inside the home would have been saved.
"Fire statistically doubles in size every minute that it's currently burning," Rhees said.
Rhees and the Hogue couple credit the driver for trusting his instincts.
"I don't know that I could've," Jackie Hogue said. "I'd been in shock maybe ... seeing someone's house on fire."
His quick thinking spared their most precious belongings.
"In 2008, I lost my 16-year-old daughter to a distracted driver," Jackie Hogue said. "All I have are pictures. Her pillows and couple blankets, they're gone. But I was able to get a few pictures out.
The couple says the stranger gave them a gift that they can't repay.
"He needs a secret Santa and I wish I could be it," Darrin Hogue said.
