Beyond fantasy characters such as the Fantastic Four’s Human Torch, no American is impervious to flame, and all face burn injury threats from fires. But only a small percentage of Americans face such threats with one crucial added concern: a handicap that makes them mobility-impaired.

Such was the case for a Houston woman last week when her high-rise apartment building had a fire alarm. The woman, who’s partly paralyzed, was told via alarm that she had to evacuate the building while using stairs, not an elevator. But she knew she couldn’t do that in a motorized wheelchair from her 25th floor residence in Greenway Condominiums.

Fortunately, she entered a hallway where she found a valiant neighbor who carried her down the stairs all the way to the building’s lobby. And fortunately, the fire was confined to a clothes dryer and was quickly extinguished. (more…)

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