James C. Carpenter saved Chelsea M. Palma from burning, Gloversville, New York, November 8, 2007. Chelsea, 5, and her sister were on the second floor of their grandmother’s two-story house after fire broke out in the kitchen, on the first floor. At his home next door, Carpenter, 28, warehouse worker, was alerted to the fire. He ran to the house, entered through the front door, and approached the stairway, which was adjacent to the burning kitchen. In dense smoke, Carpenter went to the top of the stairs and found the girls. Chelsea grasped him, but her sister retreated to a bedroom. Carrying Chelsea, Carpenter turned and went down the stairs. By then, flames were spreading to the stairway and issued along its ceiling. Carpenter exited the house with Chelsea as another man entered and went upstairs for her sister, whom he then delivered to safety.
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