Lieutenant Arlie Hill III

As Lieutenant Hill visited his neighbor and brother-in-law, Lieutenant Adam Stephens, the men noticed a fire at a nearby residence. Both being members of the Whitley City Fire Department, they rushed to investigate.

They located the fire at the residence of a neighbor who was in the process of moving. Believing the house was still occupied, and knowing that a small child resided there, the men decided to enter with the intent of alerting residents and clearing the home.

As they started to search the home, a "flashover" occurred. The force trapped Lieutenant Hill in the living room and sent Lieutenant Stephens out to the porch floor. Lieutenant Stephens recovered and re-entered the home to retrieve Lieutenant Hill, suffering burns to his face and arms in the process.

Lieutenant Hill suffered second and third-degree burns over 90 percent of his body. He was airlifted first to the University of Kentucky Medical Center, then to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he remained in the burn unit until his death.