Cecil R. Bradford helped to save Eugene Bocock from burning, Gifford, Illinois, July 14, 1944. The tractor that Eugene, 16, farmhand, was driving overturned, and he was pinned on his back on the ground, suffering serious injury to one of his feet. Fire started on the ground beneath the fuel tank, and gasoline and oil dripped onto the fire. Eugene’s shoe and trousers caught fire. Bradford, 49, airport guard, and another man ran to the tractor. Crouching, Bradford walked between its rear wheels to Eugene, rubbed out flames on his trousers, and poured water from a can on them. Scooping up dirt in the can, he threw it onto flames, which were up to two feet high and covered an area two feet in diameter beneath the tank. The other man made four trips carrying dirt in his hands, and he threw it onto the fire. Twice flames flashed from the cap of the tank, and the tank made a pounding noise. While the other man ran a mile for help, Bradford carried dirt and piled it up around the tank, putting out the fire. A little later, the other man arrived with help. While Bradford and four men lifted the end of the tractor, the other man pulled Eugene from under it. Eugene sustained serious burns, and his leg was amputated. Bradford suffered minor burns on one hand. 40446-3453
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