CHEROKEE COUNTY, KAN. - Cherokee County Sheriff David Groves is hailing a deputy as a life-saver for pulling three people from the wreckage of a burning pickup.

Authorities say on Sunday morning a truck carrying gas cans and camping fuel crashed near Northeast 30th and Star Valley Road - a rural area southeast of Scammon.

"One of our deputies was following a vehicle on a rural Cherokee County road," Sheriff Groves told us.  "The vehicle ended up wrecking, rolled over, and the deputy approached the vehicle.  (The deputy) found three occupants - two adults and one thirteen year old minor inside the vehicle trapped and unable to get out.  The vehicle began to catch on fire and the deputy was able to bust out the windshield and pull the two frontseat occupants to safety, and then through the back window that burst during the accident he was able to remove the thirteen year old from the wreckage."

Sheriff Groves told us that he and his department are proud of Deputy Whitely.

"There is no doubt in my mind after seeing the wreckage that he did save lives that day," the sheriff says.  "I just think it's comendable.  And he did an outstanding job, and like I said, the department is extremely proud of him and I think he is an asset to cherokee county."