By Gerri Miller
Staff Writer, Elmore/Autauga News
Jeffrey Williams was on his way home from work on Memorial Day morning when he noticed a glow coming from the porch of a mobile home. It was 5:45 a.m. and Williams was tired from working third shift at Plant Harris, a generating plant for Alabama Power near Autaugaville.
He started to go home, but something told him to turn around and find the source of the glow. That decision saved the life of an Autaugaville man.
“It looked like someone was grilling, but who would be grilling that early in the morning?” Williams said. When he returned to the mobile home, he was shocked to see that the porch was now engulfed in flames.
He ran to the door and started banging on it. He heard dogs barking and begin to wonder if the owner was even at home. He started to bang on the windows but was worried that he might be shot. “I continued to beat on the door until someone finally answered,” he said.
Williams and said he and the homeowner attempted to put the fire out with garden hoses until fire fighters from Autaugaville Volunteer Fire Department arrived. The fire fighters were able to put out the fire at the home, which is just a few miles west of Prattville.
Autauga County Sheriff Joe Sedinger honored Williams on Thursday with a Life Saving Award as well as a Sheriff’s Coin. “You know the saying ‘See something, say something,?'” the sheriff said. “Well, Mr. Williams saw something and did something.”
This is the first time Sedinger has honored a citizen with the Life Saving Award. Up until today, the Award had been saved for deputies who go above and beyond the call of duty.
“We could have had a fatality if Mr. Williams hadn’t stopped,” Sedinger said. “He saved a life that morning. That deserves recognition.” There were no injuries from the blaze, thanks to Williams.
It is believed that the fire was started by an electrical wire on the porch. Damage and the cost of repairs is unknown, according to a Sheriff’s Report. The fire had already spread to the inside of the house by the time the firefighters arrived.
Williams said he believes that God put him at the right place at the right time. He said he is humbled by the award and honored to be recognized
