Two who saved people in city fire rewarded
By ZACH SUBAR/The Leader-HeraldArticle Photos
GLOVERSVILLE - Two men who saved people from a 2007 city house fire now have more to show for their actions than stories of their bravery.
James Carpenter, a city resident, and Leanue Davis, a former resident who now lives in Fayetteville, N.C., were awarded Carnegie Medals - with $5,000 prizes - for their actions during a Nov. 8, 2007, fire at 91 Third St.
"I thought my gesture was something that anybody would have done," said Davis. "I had no idea that people looked at what I did as something heroic."
Carpenter, who lived at 89 Third St., responded to cries for help from his next-door neighbor, Sandra Vasquez, after a fire had started in her home. He entered the burning house and grabbed one of her two grandchildren who was trapped upstairs, afraid to descend the burning steps.
Davis, who lived at the house, returned home from work to find it burning. After Carpenter crawled out of the home holding one of the children, Davis ran upstairs to find Vasquez's other granddaughter.
Unable to escape down the stairs because of the flames, Davis dropped the girl out of a second-story window to construction workers below and then jumped from the building himself. He received minor injuries.
Firefighters arrived at the scene soon afterward.
Gloversville Fire Chief Douglas Edwards said the men's actions were unusually heroic.
"It's one of those that everything fell into place," he said. "People were at the right place at the right time."
Davis and Carpenter, as neighbors, had argued over their pets in the past, but Davis said the two were temporarily on good terms after the fire. They later got into a dispute over a car owned by Davis that Carpenter allegedly damaged.
Davis and Vasquez rented a house on Prospect Street after the fire, and they were planning to buy a house in the city, but Vasquez claimed that because she is Hispanic and Davis is black, the homeowner was reticent to sell to them.
The two moved to Fayetteville, where Davis now operates a lawn-care business and Vasquez is unemployed.
She said her nerves have not been the same since the fire, and she often is affected by depression.
"A lot of people got awards," she said. "I was like, he [Davis] deserved it more than anybody. He was stuck in the fire."
Davis said he lost antiques in the fire, and the two lost a variety of other goods.
"Financially, we could use the $5,000. I don't think that we'll ever get what we had back," Davis said. "But in other areas, emotionally and spiritually, we've grown."
Last month, before the medals were given, Davis and Vasquez came to Gloversville to visit Vasquez's grandchildren, who still live in the city with their parents. Davis said he was taking his dog for a walk when he bumped into Carpenter at Main and Pine streets.
They talked, and the two are now again on good terms, Davis said.
"I praised him," said Davis. "He did the same thing I did. He ran into a burning building, and that was from his heart."
Carpenter could not be reached for comment.
The two men were selected for medals by the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission's 21-member board in December.
The award is given to civilians nationwide who, according to the commission's Web site, "risk their lives to an extraordinary degree saving or attempting to save the lives of others."
The commission was established in 1904, and it has given more than 8,000 medals and $30 million in grants.
Each award winner receives $5,000 and a bronze medal that features a profile of the commission's founder, Andrew Carnegie.
Carnegie Hero Fund Commission Director of External Affairs Douglas Chambers said the commission gives roughly 100 medals each year on four separate occasions.
"Many times, they're surprised that they've been awarded the Carnegie Medal," he said of award recipients. "What they did was an altruistic act. They acted at the time spontaneously, and most of them think nothing of it."
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resident69
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01-08-09 2:18 PM
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SUMDUM1, I'm waiting for a L-H employee to get arrested...will they make mention that he's a L-H employee? I think not! There is no investigative reporting either. The man's size was not really a part of the store unless he's size was the cause for need to go to the hospital and not the logging accident. Just honor the 2 people and move on!
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SUMDUM1
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01-07-09 7:47 PM
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Continued:: Its is becoming a real trashy paper lately same thing with The Pike Murder why do you need to PRINT about the mans past in every update or article related to this case he was killed that is what the story was about even before the killing was over alledged child **** every article stated his past, I think the editor or whom ever is in charge owes these families an appology.
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SUMDUM1
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01-07-09 7:40 PM
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I think the leader herald needs to get rid of some of these low life good for nothing "so Called reporters" That trash talk everyone no matter what the article is about this one didnt need to air the relationship between the 2 the fact is they saved a lide not that they argued over a pet ?? GET the priorities straight, the other thing THAT REALLY ****es me off is that a friend of our family was nearly killed in johnstown yesterday and they made sure to bash a good man maybe they dont see the harm but STATED in the article that he was TOO large to be transported by helicopter NOT once did they say this but twice, I know Big Mike was transported by helicopter and Mike is a good friend of mine but Joe horan is not any bigger then Mike but why BAsh on anyone why not just leave out that statement, why not just word it more tastefully and say "Joe Horan was unable to be transported by helicopter to albany med and was transported by ambulance??? The leader is becoming a real
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speechless
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01-07-09 7:09 PM
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it's great to see people being recognized for their extraordinary act of heroism. i agree, resident69. what is the point of airing their disputes to everyone?
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resident69
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01-07-09 2:45 PM
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We never heard more about that Carpenter street fire years ago. Person walking by save the people inside. Then when the Fire Department investigated the fire the Rescurer and rescurees all clamed up and got lawyers....hmmm something seems funny with that whole thing.
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resident69
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01-07-09 2:42 PM
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exactly, I think thestory could had left out the personal disputes. Maybe just said as neighbors they had disputes but in the time of need they worked together and saved two lifes.
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Carlttfn
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01-07-09 11:57 AM
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Great story. Good to see true hero's recognized.
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resident69
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01-07-09 11:51 AM
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Simply Amazing
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