In an emergency, this teen instinctively knew what to do. And he did so in the nick of time.

Chris Bok had just visited a friend and was driving home early one morning when he noticed his Pacific neighborhood strangely aglow. A recreational vehicle, parked between homes and next to a row of trees, began to belch smoke and shoot flames.

“It didn’t register at first, but then I looked again and noticed the neighbors’ RV was on fire,” Bok recalled of the 1:30 a.m. blaze on July 6. “I knew I had to do something.”

So Bok stopped alongside Butte Avenue, a few houses short of his own home, parked his vehicle and called 911. After relaying details to the dispatcher, Bok was urged to knock on doors. The endangered house, with the burning RV in its 100-foot-long driveway, was already empty. Terry and Daniel Landis had escaped through the back. Bok, however, was able to rouse Carol and Frank Inch from their threatened home next door.

“And I am so glad he did. I appreciate everything he did,” Carol Inch said. “It was very, very scary. I mean, when I went outside, there easily were 30-foot-tall flames coming out (of the RV).”

The quick-responding Valley Regional Fire Authority – with help from Pacific police and other nearby agencies – doused the fire and prevented it from spreading to adjacent homes and vehicles. The fire took a few hours to knock out.

The Landis’ garage was charred, and at least a half-dozen trees and rose bushes were burned.

The heat was so intense it melted the mirrors off the Landis’ Ford Focus that had been exposed to the motor home.

As for the RV? It was a total loss.

No one was hurt. All were relieved. A few minutes longer and the fire could have been devastating.

“Damn lucky,” Terry Landis said. “I’ve never seen anything like it. It was the most shocking thing I’ve ever gone through. It’s taken us a couple of weeks to actually be able take it all in.”

Added Carol Inch: “We would have been in big trouble. … I wouldn’t have been here talking to you.”

Fire officials were unable to determine the exact cause of the fire. Neighbors speculate fireworks were to blame.

Nevertheless, given the hot and dry conditions, a fire could start unexpectedly.

Bok can attest to that. An honors student and a senior-to-be at Auburn Riverside High School, Bok responded with a certain poise and calmness. One of nine kids, the resolute 17-year-old, who dreams of one day becoming a nuclear engineer, just wanted to help out.

“It’s just something I did. It’s not like I jumped out in front of a bullet,” Bok said. “I just dialed my phone. I just tried to do the right thing.”

For his actions, the City of Pacific and the VRFA this week awarded Bok a certificate of merit.

“He immediately took action, rather just driving by and ignoring it,” said Pacific Mayor Richard Hildreth. “He took appropriate action.”

Action that prevented grief and significant loss for one neighborhood.

“My husband and I would like to just be able to say thank you to all those who helped,” Terry Landis said.