Carlo Clark saved Virginia G. Hudecek from burning, Belleville, Illinois, August 22, 1992. Mrs. Hudecek, 66, returned to her duplex apartment to find that fire had erupted in its kitchen. She entered the smoke-filled apartment and collapsed to the floor, not far from the kitchen door. A neighborhood resident, Carlo, 16, high school student, saw smoke issuing from Mrs. Hudecek’s apartment and went to the scene. He entered the apartment twice through its front door but withdrew each time because of smoke and heat conditions. He entered a third time, on his hands and knees, and crawled across the living room, then found Mrs. Hudecek. Carlo picked her up, then stood and carried her through the living room and outside to safety. Both he and Mrs. Hudecek showed effects of smoke inhalation.
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67166-7723