David Earl Kamerath rescued Lauren M. Clark from burning, Salt Lake City, Utah, April 21, 1989. Lauren, 6, was in a second-floor bedroom of her family’s house after fire had broken out in the first-floor kitchen and spread. A neighbor, Kamerath, 47, retirement planning administrator, was alerted to the fire and ran to the scene. Mounting an adjacent garage, then climbing a ladder to the smoke-filled bedroom, Kamerath partially entered the room and in the intense heat felt for Lauren but could not locate her. He moved the ladder to another window and repeated the process, again with no success. After moving the ladder again and partially entering the room a third time, Kamerath located Lauren, who lay on the floor surrounded by debris. He removed the debris, picked Lauren up, and placed her on his shoulder. He exited through the window, climbed down the ladder, and handed Lauren to arriving paramedics. Lauren sustained third-degree burns to 30 percent of her body and was hospitalized for eight weeks. Kamerath required hospital treatment for minor smoke inhalation and lacerations to his left arm; he recovered.
64019 – 7415
64019-7415