Michael Bell rescued Amanda F. Pascoe from burning, Portland, Oregon, February 3, 1987. Amanda, 3, was inside her family’s one-story, wooden house when fire broke out in the living room. Working on the roof of the house, Bell, 39, contractor, heard Amanda’s mother call for help. Bell entered the house through its front door but was forced out by intense heat and thick smoke. Using his shirt, which he wrapped around his arm, as a shield, Bell crawled back into the house and heard Amanda crying. Despite limited visibility and nearby flames, Bell crawled about nine feet to Amanda. He grabbed her and crawled back to the door, then outside, clutching her to his body with one arm. Amanda was hospitalized for burns; she recovered. Bell sustained minor burns from which he also recovered.
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