Mary Burgett Baker saved Melanie D. Bosman and Kristen G. Dysinger from an impending explosion, Marysville, Michigan, January 21, 1993. Melanie, 17, and Kristen, 16, were in a tanning room in the basement level of a beauty salon during a sudden, major leak of natural gas into a nearby utility room. Ms. Baker, 34, registered nurse, was on the main floor of the salon when she was alerted to the leak. Knowing that the girls were in the basement, she immediately went downstairs and shouted for them to flee. As she passed the utility room, the gas exploded, hitting Ms. Baker with flames and debris and setting fire to the building. The girls, uninjured, fled to the main level, then evacuated the building, as did Ms. Baker. She was taken to the hospital, where she was treated for acute first-degree burns to her face, arms, and hands. She missed work for more than a week, but she fully recovered.
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