Carla Bright’s house on Francis Street in Sulphur burned to the ground on June 7. Thanks to Darren Lucas, she wasn’t in it. Lucas saw the smoke and tried to rouse Bright by knocking and yelling at the front and back doors. When she didn’t answer, he forced his way in, and got her out.

Lucas’s act of heroism was celebrated at the Sulphur City Council meeting on Monday. Included in the audience were more than 20 family members and friends of Bright and Lucas.

Sulphur Fire Chief Naquin said that a home is tragic, but thanks to Lucas — who made a choice to put his own personal safety aside to help a neighbor — family and friends did not lose a loved one.

“It’s reassuring to know that there are still individuals out there willing to go above and beyond to help someone that he or she may not know. You were a hero that day, he told Lucas. “You are a hero.”

After the celebration, the council got down to business, approving the awarding of the bid to rebuild the city’s animal control facility to  K & J Development of Southwest Louisiana for $320,000.

After Hurricane Rita in 2005, animal control operated in a mobile home. “It was almost shameful to say what they were operating out of,” Mayor Mike Danahay said. “So we made the decision to upgrade our facilities.”

The low bid for the Wastewater Treatment Facility emergency power generator and automatic transfer switch replacement came in at $3,089,900 and the contract was awarded to CoxJones Architecture and Construction.

Structures at the following addresses were condemned and will be demolished using FEMA Private Property Debris Removal funds: 1005 Live Oak St., 1400 LeBlanc St., 1406 LeBlanc St., 1505 Garth Dr., 214 Pine St., 220 Avelia St., 2476 St. Rose Ave., 316 Landry St., 318 Vincent Lane, 608 South Crocker St., 621 Mustang St., 644 Maple St., 822 North Huntington St., 916 LIlliput Lane, 2218 North Rose Park Ave., and 814 Makey St.

Condemnation was also approved for 751 South Crocker St. and 933 Elm St.. However, funding for the demolition will not be provided by FEMA PPDR funding for these structures.