Gerald M. Fulmer rescued Martin P. Heil from burning, Ocotillo Wells, California, November 26, 1988. Heil, 53, was unconscious and trapped inside his burning car after a head-on collision with another vehicle in the desert. A friend, Fulmer, 46, deputy marshal, who had been following Heil, saw that Heil’s feet were pinned by the wreckage when he attempted to pull Heil out of the car. Although flames issued 10 feet above the car and began to feed on Heil’s clothing, Fulmer extended his upper body into the car, bent the wreckage away to free Heil’s feet, and pulled Heil out of the car to safety. The car was shortly engulfed in flame. Heil required hospital treatment for second-degree burns to his hands and legs as well as for cuts and bruises. He recovered.
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