James P. Daigle, Jr., rescued Ruby H. LeCompte from burning, Houma, Louisiana, February 12, 2006. At night, LeCompte, 89, was in a bedroom of her one-story house after fire erupted in the attic and spread to the hall outside the bedroom. Her grandson, Daigle, 37, police detective, who lived next door, was alerted to the fire and responded immediately. Entering the house, he went through the burning hall to LeCompte’s bedroom. As he then ushered LeCompte from the bedroom through the hall, they fell amidst flaming debris, and Daigle’s shirt caught fire. He lay on the floor to extinguish those flames. Regaining his footing, Daigle seized LeCompte by the arms and dragged her through the hall, their access to the front and back doors of the house blocked by dense smoke. Daigle pulled LeCompte into the kitchen, and from there they exited the house through an adjoining garage minutes before the house was engulfed by flames. LeCompte was treated at the hospital for burns to her hands, arms, and one of her legs. Daigle was hospitalized overnight for treatment of first- and second-degree burns to his back.
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