A Hughesville lad who first noticed smoke and flames coming from his neighbor’s house that was burning in April is the recipient of two civilian humanitarian awards and the praise of firefighters from across Pennsylvania.

Owen Seitzer, 5, held up one of the awards inside his home.

His father, Nick, shared the story and spoke a little bit about the civilian awards his son received that were the result of his son’s quick thinking and alerting him to the structure fire across the street.

Owen, who turned 5 on Nov. 3, is the son of Nick and Cora Seitzer. He has a brother, Brody, 8, and little sister, Bailey. Owen may not have realized it at the time, but that afternoon on April 24 he became a Good Samaritan — for an act of quick response.

It happened when Owen was looking out the front picture window of his house on North Second Street.

“He likes to do that,” Nick said. That day, he noticed smoke and flames coming from the right front side of the house at 185 N. Second St.

“I was making us lunch,” his father said. “He was insistent,” he said. “How many kids his age would maybe not say anything?”

It was Owen’s notification to his father, who was among several people to call 911, that led to Owen’s two civilian humanitarian awards, one presented during an award ceremony held on Sept. 20 at the Upper Merion Township Building.

The ceremony was a part of the Firefighters’ Association of the State of Pennsylvania Conference, which was hosted by the King of Prussia Volunteer Fire Company from Sept. 18-20.

“Owen received a standing ovation,” his father said.

Owen’s other civilian humanitarian award was by the Pennsylvania Central District Firemen’s Association, an award presented during the 133rd Annual Central District Firemen’s Convention Aug. 14-16 at the Columbia Volunteer Fire Co., Osceola Mills, he said.

“Unfortunately, we had to miss this ceremony because of a scheduling conflict,” Seitzer said, but “a member of the Hughesville Fire Department brought the award home for us.”

Flames engulfed the two-story house of Calvin and Christina Murray, 185 N. Second St. Calvin Murray has been a volunteer firefighter for a number of companies, most recently Hughesville. Besides the Murrays, Christina’s daughter, Courtney King, and her boyfriend, Chad Kepler, had lived in the home. There was nobody home at the time, but the dogs were inside.

Seitzer is thrilled the two pets were saved and his son — maybe without realizing it — was a Good Samaritan and notified him of the fire happening across the street.

Seitzer was on the phone with 911, when another neighbor, Katie Tobin, who works from home, also saw flames outside her office window as did a woman, passing the scene in her car, who also called 911.

Tobin, who ran out of the house with her husband, Matthew, helped free one of the dogs. Seitzer and another neighbor, Melissa Gardner, opened a side door that allowed the second dog to safely escape. Both pets were quickly grabbed and taken to the Tobin home.

Grabbing garden hoses and portable extinguishers, neighbors did what they could to douse the flames, but there was little that could be done, Matthew Tobin admitted at the time.

“A lot of neighbors were doing a lot of things,” Seitzer said. “My heart was pounding. I was shaking,” Seitzer said.

Borough Police Chief Rod Smith, one of the first emergency responders to reach the scene, responded from the police station on Fifth Street. “When I got to Second and Water streets, I could see heavy black smoke. When I pulled up, the entire front of the house was engulfed in flames,” Smith said.

Firefighters from the borough and several surrounding communities battled the two-alarm fire for about 45 minutes before it was brought under control. Two firefighters suffered minor burns, borough Fire Chief Daniel Dorman.

Owen is in pre-kindergarten at Ashkar Elementary School. Besides the awards, which are on display in the Seitzer household, he received a bag of goodies, including coloring books and a toy fire truck.