Skip to content
Rally High School Sports
Link copied to clipboard

St. Augustine's Burr a defender off the field, too

The decision to run into a burning building, Andrew Burr said, wasn't really much of a decision at all.

(Avi Steinhardt/For The Inquirer)
(Avi Steinhardt/For The Inquirer)Read more

The decision to run into a burning building, Andrew Burr said, wasn't really much of a decision at all.

The junior defender for the St. Augustine lacrosse team doesn't remember feeling apprehension or uncertainty.

"I would say it was instinct," he said. "I just remember looking around and thinking that I had to do something - just because nobody else was."

Last month, Burr tested his mettle in a way most only dream of doing.

With no other motivation other than to be a good citizen, Burr ran into a house engulfed in flames and helped an elderly woman to safety.

"It's the kind of thing that makes you proud just to know him," Hermits coach J.C. Valore said. "When you think about our program and how we want our guys to represent themselves, as well-rounded citizens and student-athletes, there couldn't be a better example."

Burr is in his first year starting for a St. Augustine team off to a strong start. He's been holding his own against some of the top high school programs in the country and establishing himself as a college prospect despite a lack of varsity experience.

The night of March 6, Burr was in a car, headed home from dinner with his family. His father was driving, his mother was in the passenger seat, and he was in the back with his two younger siblings.

The first thing Burr remembers is watching the sky change color. A clear night turned pitch black.

Just about a mile away from his Glassboro home, traffic slowed almost to a halt. Then it became clear why. Drivers were slowing down to peer at a house on Heston Road in Glassboro with smoke pouring from its roof and flames ripping through its interior.

Car after car drove by before the Burr family stopped to help.

At first, he and his mother hurried to a woman standing by the side of the house. The woman, who was fine, told the Burrs that her elderly mother was still inside house.

With flames and heavy smoke around him, Burr rushed in, took the elderly woman by the arm, and helped lead her outside.

What stood out most to Burr inside was just how hot it was. Though he was fine, and so was the woman, his eyebrows and the front of his hair were singed by the heat.

Valore said that Burr is a leader, a high-character guy, and that his actions on that night should come as no surprise.

There's something about pressure, it seems, that agrees with Burr.

While Burr doesn't describe the event as life-changing, it's something he has caught himself reflecting on at times.

"It's a reminder, another reason to cherish everything you have, to not take anything for granted, and, in lacrosse, to play every possession like it's your last," he said.

It's something the family has expressed gratitude for. But it's not something Burr has talked much about - in fact, he was hoping to keep it quiet.

When word finally did get out around school, Burr said some of his friends could hardly believe it.

They congratulated him, coaches and teachers used him as an example of bravery, and some even called him a hero.

Burr doesn't go that far. For him, it was just a chance to read a situation and react, to go with his gut and do what he thought was right.

"It wasn't fun, it wasn't something I enjoyed doing," he said. "But when I look back, it did feel good just to know that I was able to help someone in a time of need.

"At the end of the day, I would just hope somebody would do that for me or somebody I know."