Adrian Paolini, a Waste Water Treatment Operator for the city of St. Augustine, Florida, rescued a homeless man from a homeless persons camp as a brush fire burned through the area.
While he was checking a water treatment plant, he saw black smoke coming from vegetation about 100 feet away from the plant and men were running away from the fire. One of them said “My friend’s trapped in there”.
Here is an excerpt from staugustine.com:
Paolini, a 21-year city employee, called the fire department and moved toward the flames.
“The camp was about 80 percent encircled, leaving about a three-foot wide clear entrance,” he said. “I was upwind, so smoke didn’t bother me. I went in, put my hands under his arms and dragged him out.”
The rescued man was not unconscious, but “pretty close to incoherent,” he said. “People from the ballfield helped me carry the man away from the fire. We tried to keep him awake and conscious.”
[Fire Chief Michael] Arnold said fire units arrived quickly to work on the blaze and a St. Johns County Fire-Rescue unit evaluated the man.
Arnold said he was “transported to (Flagler Hospital) for severe alcohol intoxication. Fortunately he sustained no fire-related injuries due to his rapid removal from the camp by Adrian.”
Adrian suggested Tuesday that the man might have also been suffering from smoke inhalation.
After the City Hall ceremony honoring him ended, Paolini said, “At the beginning of that day, I didn’t think I’d be saving a life. (This man’s) role in society may not be the best one, but he’s still a human being. Every life is valuable.”
