By Zhang Mimi and Jiang Long
WUHAN, Mar. 5 (ChinaMil) -- Sergeant Major Li Daozhou assigned to a helicopter regiment of an airborne brigade under the PLA Air Force, who was on vacation at home, laid down his life for saving people from the fire on March 3.
An apartment in a residential building on the Liyuan Street, Hongshan District in Wuhan, capital city of Hubei province, caught fire on Saturday afternoon. Living in the apartment are an old couple over 80 and their 51-year-old handicapped daughter incapable of taking care of herself in daily life. The old couple wasn't at home when the fire broke out. When they got home and saw the fire, they called the property management office immediately and went in to look for their daughter, but were trapped inside.
Li Daozhou was waiting for his wife, a property administrator working in the property management office, to get off work when the accident happened. Li picked a fire extinguisher and rush to the fire site together with the working staff in the office.
After getting the old couple out of the burning apartment with the help of others, Li went back again with the mother to fetch the daughter.
According to the old woman, after finding her daughter, she walked in front and turned on the cellphone flashlight to light up the way out, Li followed her carrying her daughter on his back. At that time, the apartment was still giving off thick smoke and there was recurrent fire. Unfortunately, only the mother escaped, Li and the old couple's daughter were trapped inside and failed to survive the fire.
The fire was completely extinguished at wee hours the next day after continuous work of firefighters. At the site, rescuers found the remains of Li Daozhou and the old couple's daughter.
Li was born in July 1988 and joined the PLA Air Force in December 2005.
