Alan Lawry didn't think twice. Strangely, he'd been in this situation or something very like it before.
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Almost three decades before he dragged his unconscious neighbour, Kylie Allen, from her burning Sunshine Coast home late Sunday night, he risked his life to help 10 others in another horrific accident.
In November 1987, the former New Zealand Army corporal was first on the scene of a fiery two-vehicle crash in the centre of the country's north island.
As flames took hold of a van, he pulled eight passengers, including six children, to safety out the back door.
A motorcycle with a pillion passenger had collided with the van killing the rider instantly and trapping the bike passenger underneath and setting her clothes on fire.
The motorcycle's petrol tank burned dangerously close to the van's fuel supply as he beat the flames out with his gloved hands, before rushing to rescue the others, according to a newspaper report at the time.
As the flames spread, Mr Lawry sat with a shocked woman trapped in the passenger seat, at one stage thinking "well this is it, I'm going to be roasted".
The heroic act earned him a Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct from New Zealand's chief of General Staff.
The father-of-three showed much the same disregard for his own safety on Sunday night when he and wife Robyn, relaxing in front of a movie, smelled smoke and went to investigate.
After working with another neighbour to find an unlocked door at the back of the Coolum Beach home, the mine worker forced his way in but his valiant efforts weren't enough.
Despite searching the burning home, with smoke so thick he couldn't see, dragging Mrs Allen outside and performing CPR with another neighbour, she died in hospital in the early hours of Monday morning.
She was unconscious and unresponsive, just a metre and a half from escape, when Mr Lawry found her.
At the time, he thought he'd done enough to save the 44-year-old, reserving his major fears for the husband and child he though were still inside.
"One of the neighbours said there was about three people lived in there so I went looking for more," he said.
Mr Lawry didn't know how long he spent in the fire-ravaged home, just that it was "long enough to realise that if anyone was in there at that end of the house I couldn't get to them".
"At the first instance it was mainly smoke and flame but the other times I went, the flames were, they were right up there," he said.
"It was pretty hectic."
Luckily, Kylie's husband, karate instructor Michael Allen, and their son weren't at home.
On Monday, as tributes flowed for the Coolum State School learning support teacher, Mr Lawry denied being a hero, much as he had done 29 years ago.
"I wasn't the only one there. There was other people there that put their hand up," he said.
In a voice weighed down by the pain of not being quite quick enough to Mrs Allen's aid, the 52-year-old said there was "nothing heroic about it".
Floral tributes were left outside the Greenoaks Drive home as family, friends and the school community mourned.
"Kylie was professional in all she did, generous in her time and sharing of knowledge, helpful to all her colleagues and above all dedicated to improving the learning opportunities of her students," principal Patrick Cavanagh said in a statement.
"Kylie's work ethic and effort she put into her students was outstanding.
"This is a terrible tragedy for the Allen family, Coolum State School and the Coolum community. We are deeply saddened by the event. Our sympathy and thoughts are with the family and friends."
