Jose M. Pichardo

Jose M. Pichardo rescued Shirley M. Buder from burning, Nashua, New Hampshire, October 1, 2021. Buder, 97, was in her one-story house when fire broke out on the kitchen stove and filled the house with black smoke. Flames and smoke issued through a kitchen window. Buder went into the living room, and unable to unlock the front door, she tried unsuccessfully to call for help on her cell phone and sat in a chair. Pichardo, 41, car salesman, was driving down the street and stopped at the scene, where he was told Buder was still inside. Pichardo kicked in the locked, front door and black smoke issued through the doorway. He got onto his hands and knees and crawled into the living room, where the heat was intense and visibility was limited. Pichardo crawled toward the sound of Buder’s voice and found her still seated in the chair. He told her to remain seated and then stood and held onto the back of the chair. Pichardo dragged the chair to the front door and outside onto the porch, where another man stood on the steps and grabbed the chair. Pichardo and the man carried the chair across the street and away from the house, the kitchen of which was shortly engulfed by flames. Buder inhaled smoke and was hospitalized overnight. She recovered in two days. Pichardo inhaled smoke; he recovered the next day.