Ryan Pasborg

A mother, 34, and her son, 4, had fallen unconscious inside the kitchen of their burning home on Feb. 2, 2022, in Green River, Wyoming. Ryan Pasborg, a 33-year-old derrickhand of Rock Springs, Wyoming, was driving to work when he smelled smoke and noticed flames from the house’s front windows. Three other siblings had escaped and alerted Pasborg that their brother and mother were inside. Pasborg entered the home and ascended steps to the kitchen, where intense smoke forced him to his hands and knees. He crawled farther into the house and came upon the boy. Hugging the boy with one arm and still crawling, he retreated until he could stand and eventually carried the boy through the garage to safety. Pasborg instructed the children to seek refuge inside his work truck before he reentered the home to look for their mother. Crawling again through the kitchen despite intense flames, heat, and smoke, Pasborg searched until he found her. He grasped her under the arms and dragged her from the home to safety. Pasborg performed CPR on the woman before driving her and the children to first responders at the end of their long driveway. The boy later recovered from burns to his arms and legs. The mother suffered burns to more than 60 percent of her body but recovered. Pasborg inhaled smoke but did not seek medical treatment.