Larry Eugene Loveless saved Daniel Pellegrino from burning, Lebanon, Ohio, October 30, 1998. Daniel, 8, was in a second-floor bedroom of his family’s two-story townhouse apartment after fire broke out in that room and filled the floor with dense smoke. On duty, Loveless, 27, police officer, responded to the scene, where he learned that Daniel was still inside the burning structure. Loveless entered the townhouse, shouting for Daniel, then started to ascend the stairs. Halfway up, he was forced to his hands and knees by the dense smoke, which precluded visibility. At the top of the stairs, Loveless heard Daniel coughing. He crawled to the burning bedroom and, his feet against the doorframe to keep himself oriented, stretched into the room. Using his flashlight, Loveless saw Daniel in the bedroom, then grasped him, took him to the floor, and crawled from the room with him. Loveless crawled to the stairway with Daniel, then retraced his course downstairs and outside to safety. Daniel required hospital treatment for smoke inhalation, as did Loveless, who was detained overnight. He recovered.
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