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Cliff Pepper isn鈥檛 the kind of guy who goes around looking for the spotlight, but he captured it nonetheless in December, when he rescued a woman from a burning building.

Pepper, a carpenter with Sean Gores Construction, and his colleague, Brad Moon, were working on a construction job in Hillsboro when they noticed what appeared to be steam coming from a condominium unit across the street. Pepper decided to give the 鈥渟team鈥� a closer look after he realized the dryer vents were on the opposite side of the building.

鈥淚t was smoke,鈥� Pepper said.

He and Moon ran across the street. When they reached the door of the condo unit, Pepper鈥檚 previous training from his days as a volunteer firefighter kicked in. He put a hand against the door; it was hot.

鈥淢y mind just kicked into automatic,鈥� Pepper said.

He tossed his cell phone to Moon with an order to call 911. Then Pepper did what he鈥檇 been trained to do: He crouched low and opened the door.

鈥淭he room was full of flames,鈥� he recalled, 鈥渁nd when I yelled out, a lady answered.鈥�

The smoke in the condo unit was thick, but Pepper caught sight of a pair of legs. Still in a crouched position, he ran into the room, scooped up the person and dashed back out.

Moments after he cleared the door, he heard behind him a whoosh and low, rumbling boom from inside the unit. Pepper knew that he and the 72-year-old woman he was carrying had just narrowly escaped being caught in a flashover 鈥� an explosion of flames that firefighters consider to be the most dangerous time of a fire.

Neighbors were already starting to form a small huddle by the time Pepper reached a spot where he could set down the woman in his arms. A man draped a blanket over her. Pepper was already slipping from a rescue mind-set.

鈥淚 turned to Brad, who was on the phone, and asked him where my phone was,鈥� Pepper recalled.聽鈥淗e says, 鈥業鈥檓 talking on it, stupid!鈥櫬燭hat kind of broke the tension.鈥�

The city of Hillsboro and the Hillsboro Fire Department officially recognized Pepper鈥檚 rescue efforts during a recent City Council meeting. Fire Chief Greg Nelson and Mayor Jerry Willey presented Pepper with the Citizen Life Saving Award and the Civilian Medal of Honor.

Pepper shrugs off the hero title, saying he thinks he was just 鈥渢he right guy in the right place at the right time.鈥� While he points to the thorough and rigorous training that volunteer firefighters go through 鈥� the same training that career firefighters receive 鈥� he thinks there may have been more that contributed to the way he responded on the day of the fire.

鈥淚t was more than just fire training, I think,鈥� Pepper said.聽鈥淢y parents and grandparents were always telling me to do good for other people, to help when you can and not worry about whether or not anyone thanks you.鈥�