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AJ Allard, left, receives an award from Mineral County Sheriff Mike Toth during a thank you ceremony at the county sheriff's office on Aug. 3. The event celebrated Allard, a former Mineral County deputy, for his heroism in saving two Superior residents from a structure fire on July 25. He currently lives in Superior with his family.
Patti Curtin, a crime victim advocate with the Mineral County Attorney's Office, cuts pieces of cake for friends and family attending Allard's celebration ceremony at the county sheriff's office on Wednesday.
AJ Allard, left, receives an award from Mineral County Sheriff Mike Toth during a thank you ceremony at the county sheriff's office on Aug. 3. The event celebrated Allard, a former Mineral County deputy, for his heroism in saving two Superior residents from a structure fire on July 25. He currently lives in Superior with his family.
Patti Curtin, a crime victim advocate with the Mineral County Attorney's Office, cuts pieces of cake for friends and family attending Allard's celebration ceremony at the county sheriff's office on Wednesday.
SUPERIOR — AJ Allard and his family were on a drive home when he spotted a red haze in a wooded area off the side of the Thompson Creek Road the night of July 25.
Allard, a former Mineral County deputy, felt uneasy about it. He called in the report and took the dirt road past a set of train tracks to check out the glow himself.
He came upon a house burning with 20-foot flames over the roof. He saw there was a car in the driveway, and decided to enter the house. Less than 10 minutes later, Allard found two people inside, and got them out, likely saving their lives as the walls burned down around them.
“I just happened to be in the right place at the right time,” Allard said on Wednesday. “Everyone is shining a light on me, but I just played a role in the rescue.”
Allard’s heroics earned him a “lifesaving award” from Mineral County Sheriff Mike Toth, and made him the center of attention at an award ceremony at the sheriff’s office in Superior.
Roughly 30 community members watched as county officials lauded Allard’s efforts. Toth said that without Allard’s quick thinking, the two residents might not have made it out alive.
“By the time first responders arrived, he was pulling the second victim out of the fire,” Toth said. “It really shows in our community that we have people that help each other out.”
When Allard made it to the house, he could tell it was burning fast. A fallen electricity pole sputtered sparks across the ground. The smoke was thick, and he said his family was scared. After moving them across a hill to safety, Allard made his approach.
To the right of the main room, flames grew up the side of the wall. He called out for survivors, but heard nothing.
“You couldn’t see your hand in front of you in there,” Allard said.
Despite the risk to his own life, Allard went room-to-room to find people. There, he found a woman still asleep. He shook her awake, and they crawled the best they could outside. That’s when she told him there was another person still inside.
He turned around and darted back to the same room he found the woman. He found a man, grabbed him, pulled him out, and made sure no one else was there. Steve Temple, fire chief for the Superior volunteer fire department, said Allard’s efforts also helped responders save the house.
“We were immediately able to get hoses down and knock the fire back,” Temple said.
The fire started from a downed powerline that set a carport roof on fire, he said. Flames spread to the roof, where most of the damage was done.
Firefighters had enough time to stop the fire from destroying the house and also saved many personal items before spraying on the inside. Toth emphasized how important Allard’s instincts were.
“AJ Allard did something really heroic that day,” Toth said. “Everything worked out the way it should.”
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Originally published on missoulian.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange.
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