An off-duty volunteer firefighter trusted his own instincts to save a mother and daughter from a fire early Saturday morning, reports The Express-Times.
At about 3:30 a.m., Steven Doran, 24, of Phillipsburg, noticed smoke in the distance while driving home on Interstate 78.
The smoke was coming from Tombler’s Home Bakery in Glendon, Pa. When Doran and his girlfriend Laura Miller reached the building, they noticed that there weren’t any fire trucks present.
He immediately took action, asking Miller to call 911 and leaving the car to bang on the doors to see if anyone was inside.
Doran then made a judgment call and refocused his energy from the burning building to the home next door, states The Express-Times.
He knocked loudly on the door, waking up Coral Johnson and her 8-year old daughter. He was then able to lead them to safety.
Firefighters soon arrived at the scene. They put out the flames within 30 minutes, protecting the Johnson’s home and another nearby house.
While hundreds of blueberry pies set for this weekend’s Blueberry Festival in Bethlehem were destroyed, no one was injured.
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Doran has only been a volunteer firefighter for two months. Saturday's fire was his first.
In spite of his immense bravery, Doran showed nothing but humility. He thanked the firefighters who came to the scene, giving them credit for putting out the fire.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
