Frederick T. Smith rescued Paul D. Knight from burning, Daleville, Virginia, April 7, 2010. Knight, 46, collapsed in the hall on the second floor of his two-story house while fighting a fire that had broken out in a laundry room off the hall. A neighbor, Smith, 53, welder, was alerted to the fire and responded. He entered the house through its front door and ran up the nearby upstairs. Dense smoke in the hall extended down to the floor, precluding visibility, and rapidly spreading flames on the second floor had entered the hall and were advancing. Smith called to Knight and, hearing him cough, crawled through the hall about five feet from the stairs to him. As Knight was inert, Smith grabbed him by the belt and collar, dragged him to the top of the stairs, and then, lifting him, hauled him down to the first floor and outside to safety. Knight was hospitalized for treatment of smoke inhalation and burns. Smith also sought medical attention for smoke inhalation.
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