Elliott and his fiancé, Skylar Sorensen of the Red Wing area and their three young children were moving to Arizona for the winter to relocate his concrete business there for the winter. They were traveling with another truck and trailer of equipment and co-workers.

Deputy John Miner stopped to help, and boy did he help.

Elliott’s mom, Jen Kolve, said the deputy is nothing short of a hero.

“My son and his fiancé and a couple of my son’s friends were with them, they were going to Arizona. Elliot started a concrete business in the Rochester area, and it was going really, really well. He decided they’d go to Arizona for the winter, and he had a bunch of jobs lined up there. They were heading down there when one of the work trucks broke down. There was a lineup of vehicles on the side of the road, and they were pulling a trailer with all their belongings. The deputy pulled over to help them. He had his emergency lights on, and my son put some of his work cones out 150 feet back,” Jen said. “So there was his truck, a work truck with a motor home and another vehicle, and the police car was behind that,” said Kolve. “A semi driver hit the police car first, and that escalated the situation. It started on fire and hit the rest of them. My son and the deputy were working under the hood when this happened. The diesel fuel was spraying everywhere and everything caught fire instantly. They lost everything.”

Miner sprang into action. Baby Ryatt was out of her car seat and the vehicle already but 4-year-old Ella Rae and 2-year-old Emric were still in theirs in the truck.

“My two grandbabies had to be rescued and cut out of their car seats. The deputy ran and did that and got the kids out safely,” said Kolve. “He got done and realized his legs were on fire. He ended up getting third degree burns.”

“Somehow, everyone else walked away OK. It’s unbelievable how lucky they were,” she said. “That fire was so intense.”

The semi, whose driver wasn’t paying attention, continued into a ditch where it caught fire as well.

Reports indicate that Miner was transported to Phillips County Hospital before being transferred to another facility for treatment of his burn injuries.

A Facebook fundraiser has been started by Elliott’s aunt Shawna Kolve to raise money to help the family get back on their feet.

“They have lost everything they had for their family,” the site states. “All of the family’s money, phones, toys, food, diapers, etc. were burned in the fire. None of them suffered any major injuries, and they are all physically OK. They just need help getting back on their feet.”

Following the accident, the town adopted the out-of-town travelers and made sure they had a room for the night.

“Everything is a blur. The adrenaline is wearing off, and it’s hitting them hard,” said Jen. “My grandson won’t get in a vehicle now. He won’t play with his truck, because he’s afraid it’s hot.”

Skylar’s mom and boyfriend went to Kansas and helped them get home.

“They’re trying to piece together their life, but they’re alive,” said Jen.

The fundraiser was set up through Facebook so the family gets all the money, not like other fundraising sites that take a percentage.

Visit the site to help the family out: https://www.facebook.com/donate/279664 5143987834/ Jen Kolve hopes to head to Kansas in the near future and make sure Deputy Miner is honored.

“We want to do all we can to make sure Deputy Miner is forever remembered. He not only saved my grandbabies’ lives, he saved all of ours and risked his own. He is a true angel,” Jen said.