Christopher H. Thomason attempted to save Elizabeth P. and Mary E. Crisman from burning, Pikeview, Colorado, May 16, 1937. While Elizabeth, 2, and her sister Mary, 4, were in bed in the kitchen of a frame house, fire started at a stove in the kitchen close to the only door to the outside. Thomason, 32, laborer, and his wife ran to the house, and Mrs. Thomason was burned by a burst of flame when she pushed open the door. Pulling his wife back, Thomason entered the kitchen, immediately sustaining burns on his face. Dense smoke filled the room, and heat was intense. Thomason rapidly walked 12 feet to the bed and picked up and held Elizabeth under his arm. Finding Mary on the floor nearby, he carried both children toward the door. Unable to see through the smoke, he stumbled against the stove and fell to his knees, his head being at the doorway. His wife then pulled him and the children from the house, the clothing of all three being afire. The roof above the stove collapsed a minute later. Elizabeth died from burns a few hours later, and Mary died three days later. Thomason was very seriously burned and was in a critical condition for more than a week. 36382-3068
36382 – 3068
36382-3068