FARMINGTON – A Farmington man was recognized Wednesday for his “unselfish quick action” when he helped put out a fire at a neighboring apartment earlier this month.

Farmington Fire Rescue Chief Terry Bell and Deputy Chief Clyde Ross brought Andrew Thompson, 30, a framed special recognition award certificate for his actions on Dec. 1, a department hat and pen at his apartment at Hazel B. Thompson Apartments.

“Oh my goodness,” Thompson said as he saw the award.

“The Farmington Fire Rescue Department and the Town of Farmington present this award in recognition of unselfish quick action and without due regard for his own safety during a potentially serious fire emergency. The extinguishment of the fire at the Thompson-Walton Housing Complex prevented serious injury to the tenant and minimized structural damages to the tenant’s apartment,” Bell read from the award before giving it to Thompson.

“That’s wonderful,” Thompson said.

The smoke alarm started sounding Dec. 1 and at first Thompson said, he thought someone downstairs was cooking and set off the alarm, which sometimes happens.

The alarm continued to sound for about 30 seconds when he decided that it might be more than smoke.

He grabbed his Siamese cat, Gorah, and went downstairs to alert people to a possible fire, he said.

He came back upstairs to where his apartment is and knocked on his neighbor’s door. Cathy Wentzell’s nephew, Kyle Haley, 13, of Rangeley, answered the door.

Smoke was pouring out the door, Thompson said, so he tossed his cat back into his apartment and went into the neighbor’s to see if he could help.

The neighbor was heating something on the stove, and there was a cardboard container too close to the burner that caught on fire, Deputy Chief Ross said of that Friday’s fire. Then a mixer caught fire and flames spread to a wall space beside the cupboard, Ross said.

Thompson said when he went into the kitchen he grabbed a wet towel from the sink area and put it over the flames, moving it around to cut off the air. Then he put water on the wall area, he said.

With firefighters on their way and the fire appearing to be out, Thompson said, he left the apartment and went back to his own.

He found out later, he said, that the wall had reignited.

“I’m surprised I acted so quickly,” Thompson said.

“You did a very good job,” Bell said to him. “It’s good to have neighbors that take of neighbors.”

“We’re very grateful for his quick actions,” Ross said. “He did a great job. He made our job much easier.”

Wentzell said she was cooking macaroni and cheese for her nephew when a carton of cat milk somehow caught fire. She had a plastic cover over her mixer, which also caught fire. The mixer was ruined and scorch marks remained on the wall and cabinet side Wednesday.

Wentzell said she called 911 before Thompson entered the apartment and initially extinguished the flames.

“I’m thankful he came to help,” she said.