Don T. Oldham rescued Jarron Jennings from burning, Wheeling, West Virginia, April 10, 1994. Jennings, 35, lay unconscious in the bedroom doorway of his home after fire broke out in that room. A neighbor, Oldham, 43, accountant, was alerted to the fire. He responded to the scene and entered the one-story house twice in rescue attempts but was repelled by smoke each time. On a third attempt, he penetrated the house farther and located Jennings, who was aflame. Oldham covered Jennings with a rug, then dragged him into the adjacent living room, where Jennings became caught in a piece of furniture. After being forced out again by smoke, Oldham re-entered the house, seized Jennings, and dragged him across the living room and out to the front porch. Jennings was hospitalized with severe burns to most of his body and died of them the following day.
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