James A. Phillips saved Nancy L. Hager and helped to save Paul E. Knox from a possible explosion, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, July 10, 1986. Miss Hager, 33, and Knox, 28, were trapped in the basement of the residential school where they taught after an explosion of leaking natural gas. As gas continued to leak into the basement, Phillips, 35, maintenance supervisor, and another man entered to search for a resident they believed was there. Phillips heard Miss Hager’s cries, then freed her from the classroom in which she was trapped by debris. She fled. Phillips then discovered Knox buried under a pile of rubble. After clearing the debris from him, Phillips and the other man carried Knox out of the basement to safety. Knox required extensive hospitalization for a serious head injury. Phillips was treated for smoke inhalation, and he recovered.
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