Motherly instincts. (The Goodness of America).(Salt Lake City Police Detective Ken Sanders saves mother and children from fire)

Shortly before 3 p.m. on March 8th, a fire broke out in the first-floor dining room of a duplex in Salt Lake City, Utah. Three children, all under age six, and their mother were home at the time, but did not notice the fire for several minutes. By then the flames had spread, trapping all four on the second floor.

Across the street, off-duty Salt Lake City Police Detective Ken Sanders was feeding her 11-month-old son and chatting with her mother on the front porch of her home when she noticed smoke pouring from the duplex. She handed her son to her mother, called 911, then ran to the burning home and pounded on the front door. When there was no response, she ran to the back of the building where she heard the mother and children screaming for help from the second floor balcony.

With fire blocking the front entrance, and black smoke enveloping the inside stairway, Sanders ran back to her own home, grabbed a ladder, and began dragging it across the street. A neighbor heard the commotion and ran to help her carry the ladder. Once the ladder was in place, Sanders climbed it three times to carry each child to safety. The mother then climbed down herself.

Firefighters arrived at about the time the first child was rescued. With Detective Sanders in control of the rescue effort, they were able to concentrate on dousing the fire, confining it to the first floor and preventing it from spreading to the adjoining unit.

The names of the persons Sanders saved ...