Gary D. Shelton saved Willie M. Davis from burning, Yakima, Washington, February 18, 2003. Ms. Davis, 64, was seated in the living room of her one-story house after fire erupted in an adjoining bedroom. Thick smoke filled the living room. Shelton, 46, backhoe operator, and three coworkers were traveling through the neighborhood and, seeing smoke issue from the roof of the house, discovered the fire. They responded to the structure, where Shelton opened the front door and entered. Although the smoke precluded visibility, Shelton crawled through the living room. Catching a glimpse of Ms. Davis’s ankle, he grasped her and pulled her to the floor, then crawled back to the front door, dragging her. One of his coworkers helped remove her from the house. Ms. Davis was hospitalized more than a week for treatment of smoke inhalation, and she recovered. Her husband was rescued by firefighters but did not long survive.
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