Cynthia Fontes rescued Lois P. Peralta from burning, Van Nuys, California, February 8, 1971. Mrs. Peralta, 26, was in her automobile alongside gasoline pumps at a service station when fire broke out at the rear of the vehicle below the uncapped fuel tank. As flames also broke out at the rear engine and spread into the sedan, Mrs. Peralta tried to open a door but was too panic-stricken to do so. Miss Fontes, 18, high-school student, ran to the automobile and opened the driver’s door. Extending her upper body into the vehicle, she took hold of Mrs. Peralta, who was kneeling on the seat. Although Mrs. Peralta was larger than she, Miss Fontes pulled her from the sedan and aided her in moving away from it. Mrs. Peralta required hospitalization for burns she had sustained.
51931 – 5848
51931-5848