Star of Courage

• Awarded on: September 20, 1996
• Invested on: December 06, 1996

On June 14, 1994, Mr. De Dobbelaer participated in the rescue of two children from a house fire in Langton, Ontario. After a woman stopped him in the street, yelling that her children were in the house, he went inside the smoke-filled residence. He heard crying, but the dense smoke forced him to leave. He tried again, with the same result. On his third attempt, he succeeded in reaching the first child, a three-year-old boy, and brought him to safety. He went back in, but could not locate the other child, a baby. Returning outside, he broke the windows with his fist until he found the baby's room. Another rescuer was able to climb through, find the child, and hand her outside.