Kevin R. Minehart rescued Mark A. and James S. Boyd from burning, Columbus, Ohio, January 26, 2004. Mark, 3, and his grandfather, Boyd, 64, lay unconscious in a ground-floor bedroom of their home after fire broke out in an adjacent room and spread. Minehart, 29, steel fabricator, was driving in the neighborhood and stopped at the scene when he saw smoke issuing from the house. Learning that Mark remained inside the burning structure, Minehart broke out a window to the bedroom, then climbed through it. Heat was intense in the room, and through the dense smoke he could see little except the glow of flames through the open bedroom door. Crawling along the walls to avoid becoming disoriented, Minehart came across Mark, who was lying on the floor, unconscious. He carried Mark to the window and passed him outside. Before leaving the house himself, Minehart learned that Boyd also was probably inside the room. He retraced his course, going farther to find Boyd lying unconscious on the floor at the doorway to the living room. By then, flames had spread to the wall and ceiling above the doorway. Minehart stood and dragged Boyd to the window, then pushed him out before climbing out himself. Mark suffered smoke inhalation, as did Boyd, who sustained also burns to his upper body. Both were hospitalized. Minehart was treated at the scene for cuts to his hands, and he recovered.
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