Robert K. Myles helped to save Bernard Genest from being crushed by debris, Montreal, Quebec, December 16, 1986. Genest, 51, was working on a furnace in an oil refinery when an explosion caused the furnace wall and other debris to fall. Genest was trapped by his arm in the space beneath the furnace wall, which, settling, threatened to crush him. Flames broke out nearby as pipes carrying flammable and noxious gases ruptured; escaping steam heated the atmosphere and impeded visibility. Myles, 37, process technician employed at the refinery, went to the scene, where he saw a foreman attempting to free Genest. Despite the hostile environment, Myles and another refinery employee joined the foreman underneath the unstable wreckage. Myles supported Genest as the two other men pried away the debris that was pinning his arm. All left the scene safely. Genest suffered bruises to his arm, from which he recovered.
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