Hero sacrifices his life after saving couple from blaze

Soldier pays ultimate price as he tries to rescue one other person from fire

A young Henan soldier sacrificed his life when he rushed into a blazing building three times to save people in Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei province, on March 3.

Li Daozhou, 29, sergeant major assigned to a helicopter regiment of an airborne brigade under the PLA Air Force, rushed into the blaze to save a couple over 80 and in a bid to save their 51-year-old daughter who had cerebral palsy.

On that fateful night the daughter was at home alone as the fire broke out. Her parents arrived to find the fire had taken hold. They called the property management office immediately and went in to rescue their daughter, but became trapped inside.

Li was waiting for his wife who worked at the property management office.

He picked up two fire extinguishers and rushed into the fire.

"When we arrived at the fourth floor, there was a horrible smell of burning," Li told Huang Yihao, from the property management office before going back inside again.

Smoke was billowing through the windows and the 140-square-meter home was shrouded in smoke, Huang said.