Robert L. Mathews rescued James L. Edwards from burning, Warren, Ohio, November 17, 1989. James, 3, was in his second-floor bedroom when fire erupted in that room. Driving through the neighborhood, Mathews, 32, saw the fire and learned that James was still in the house. Mathews immediately entered the first floor of the house and climbed the stairs part way to the second, but he was repulsed by dense smoke and intense heat. With a jacket over his head and carrying a flashlight, Mathews climbed the stairs a second time but was again repulsed by smoke and heat. A third time Mathews climbed the stairs, and, using the flashlight, he saw James, who lay unconscious on the floor of his bedroom. Mathews crawled into that room, which was aflame, and picked James up, then ran down the stairs and out of the house with him. Both James and Mathews were given oxygen at the scene. In addition, James required extensive hospitalization for severe burns.
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