Bartender Saves Woman from Burning Building

Think only Superman and firefighters save people from burning buildings? Think again.

Shortly after midnight Thursday, Dustin Harper was with friends at Original Joe's in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada when someone told them that the apartment building next door was on fire.

In spite of, or maybe because of the smoke and fire pouring out of the building, Harper and one of his friends went inside and started banging on doors to alert tenets. After Harper's friend left, one of the tenets helped Harper continue alerting others inside the building.

Harper entered one apartment and called to Dorothy Sparks that her home was on fire. Sparks, 55, had just woken up and was looking for her glasses.

According to an article in the Red Deer Advocatem Sparks "'was in her socks, so I picked her up and started running out and the embers are coming down,' Harper said.

"His friend was yelling at the bottom of the stairs, 'Get out, get out, the roof’s coming down.' ("Bartender makes daring rescue," by Stacy O'Brien, Red Deer Advocate, May 29, 2009)"

Pieces of the roof, as well as embers, fell around them as they made their escape.

Sparks lost everything she owned in the fire, but later said that she was greatful to have been saved. All the tenets made it out safely.

"Harper shrugs off any suggestion that he is a hero. The bartender at Original Joe’s said he has never done something like that before, but he knew someone was in there and would have felt sick to his stomach if he didn’t go in after her ("Bartender...")."

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The article from the Red Deer Advocate can be found here: http://www.albertalocalnews.com/reddeeradvocate/news/local/Bartender_makes_daring_rescue_46461717.html.