Cal Traversy finished watching a movie and headed off to bed.

It was just before 1 a.m. and all was quiet in his North Delta neighbourhood.

As Traversy lay awake, thinking about the film he’d seen, he heard the sound of breaking glass.

He looked out his bedroom window and noticed an orange glow coming from the home of his neighbours, the Holbrooks.

Moving to the kitchen to get a better view, he saw flames licking up the side of the house and heavy smoke billowing out.

Traversy, a Delta Police constable, knew the drill.

He told his wife to call 911 and rushed out to help the Holbrooks escape the blaze that would ultimately engulf their home.

His calm but decisive action in the face of potential tragedy earned him the gratitude of his neighbours.

“It was very good to have somebody with that kind of presence there,” says Cindy Holbrook, the mother, recounting the event weeks later.

“Because I was in shock. You don’t think straight when something like that happens.”

Traversy’s deeds also prompted Delta Fire Chief Dan Copeland to recommend he receive commendation from the municipality for his display of “exemplary courage, selflessness and resourcefulness.”

None of this was on the policeman’s mind as he approached the burning home that September night, however.

Traversy forced open the front door and was met by the Holbrook’s 16-year-old son Stephen.

He quickly ushered Stephen and another son, Peter, along with Cindy and the family dog, to safety.

One son, Michael, and daughter Kim, were still unaccounted for.

Grabbing a sweater and putting it over his face, Traversy began to climb the stairs, braving the intense smoke.

“My eyes were watering quite heavily and it was hard to breathe because of the heat,” he recalls.

Moments later, Kim emerged on a small roof outside.

Traversy ran back outside, and at his instruction, she grabbed a tree branch and jumped into his arms.

He then re-entered the house on his hands and knees in search of Michael.

Turns out Holbrook’s eldest son had already exited through the basement door.

The family shouted out to Cal to alert him.

Everyone was safe, and not a moment too soon.

“It wasn’t long after we were all out that the whole house was in flames and the windows were bursting open,” Cindy says.

Looking back, Traversy realizes it was essential he kept cool amid the hot crisis.

“They were disoriented,” he says of the Holbrooks.

“I was able to get over there and help them all get out before anyone passed out.”

Cindy agrees.

“He had a very level head,” she says. “He was a stable presence for us.”

As it happens, Traversy, a 17-year veteran of the Vancouver Police Department, had transferred to the Delta force that very day.

And while he’s seen a lot in the line of duty through the years, he never before entered a burning building.

“Maybe I am a little surprised I would go in,” he says. “But you don’t want anyone to die in a fire.”

The house was ruined, but Cindy vows they’ll rebuild.

In the meantime, the Holbrooks’ church has arranged a temporary home for them to live in while they sort through the aftermath.

The fire’s not the only turmoil the family has faced in the past year.

Last October, Cindy was diagnosed with sarcoma – a malignant connective tissue tumor – and endured a difficult surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.

Just when it seemed the odds were stacked against her, though, she received some uplifting news.

“Three days after the fire, I went for the results of my follow up tests and they were all clear,” Cindy says.

“So we see the way God’s looked after us – through the last year and through this already... and we just know everything is going to be fine.”

A trust fund – #305862 – has been set up for the Holbrooks at Envision Financial. Donations can be made at any branch.

rstarr@surreyleader.com