FORT BRAGG — A Fort Bragg soldier is being hailed as a hero.

Late Thursday night, Sgt. 1st Class Gary Ballew heard a commotion outside of his Calamar Drive home. He went outside and saw his neighbor's house on fire. A 5-year-old girl was still inside.

He tired to get to her from the front door, but the smoke was too intense. He crawled on the floor until he could hear her scream and realized that she was in the garage. He rescued her through the garage door.

"Anyone would have done it," he said. "I've got two little girls myself, and if that happened to my little girl, I hope someone would come to the rescue, if you want to call it that."

The girl is in stable condition atNorth Carolina Jaycee Burn Center. She suffered second-degree burns on her face, arm and leg.