PORTAGE, Wis. – The former Portage assistant fire chief, Steve Moore, spotted a fire on the porch of a three-floor apartment building as he was driving by about 9:30 a.m. He tried to put the fire out with an extinguisher but failed. In short order he made contact with the first-floor tenants and learned that a mother and her young children were still up on the second floor. So while the downstairs tenant and her children were getting out and as the fire grew ballooned into an inferno, Moore and a neighbor guided the upstairs family to safety. The mother, shoeless, had an infant hanging on to her chest and other two small children tagging behind. Except for smoke inhalation, all were well. Neighbors called Moore a hero. His response. Aw, shucks: “The main thing in any kind of fire, especially when there’s kids involved, is make sure they’re out and they’re OK.” Moore was with the Portage Fire Department from 1987 to 2002, retiring as assistant chief. He also once served as chief at North Fond du Lac.

Image: Portage Police

Traffic blocked:Crews closed trans-state Wisconsin Highway 16 at West Carroll Street about two hours.

Property loss:Theowner of the building, at 701 West Wisconsin Street, estimated damage at $400,000 – pretty much a total loss.