Brian L. Schmelzer helped to save Brad L. Barnes, Tammy Gugyelka, Todd C. Goldade, and Carmen C. Heisler from burning, Empress, Alberta, November 12, 1993. Brad, 4, and his sister Carmen, 3, along with Ms. Gugyelka, 25, were trapped in a car driven by Goldade, 25, that caught fire after a highway accident. Another motorist kicked in the rear window on the driver’s side of the car, pulled Brad and Ms. Gugyelka out, and gave them over to Schmelzer, 33, truck driver, who also was involved in the accident. Schmelzer retrieved a crowbar and fire extinguisher from his truck and fought the growing flames, then forced open the driver’s door, freeing Goldade. With flames increasing in the car’s interior, Schmelzer leaned through the broken window and grasped Carmen while the other man stepped through the driver’s door and also grasped her. They freed her and removed her from the car just moments before it was engulfed in flame, making impossible any attempt to remove another passenger, who died. The four rescued victims required hospitalization for their injuries.
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