Ronny Dale Harris, Jr., rescued Brandy G. Bush from burning, Florence, Mississippi, December 30, 1993. Brandy, 3, was inside her family’s mobile home after fire broke out in the living room. Unable to reach Brandy through flames, her mother fled the mobile home and shouted for help. A neighbor, Harris, 28, mechanic, responded. Despite blistering heat and dense smoke, which precluded visibility, in the mobile home, Harris entered through its front door and called to Brandy. Hearing Brandy make a sound, Harris lunged toward her, taking her to the floor. He then picked her up and, crouching, started back to the door, the frame of which was aflame. Before they reached the door, Harris broke through the floor. He threw Brandy through the door to safety before freeing himself and fleeing, the back of his shirt aflame. Brandy was hospitalized for treatment of smoke inhalation and burns. Harris required hospital treatment for second-degree burns to 16 percent of his body, including his back. He missed five days of work but fully recovered.
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