James Clarence Admire saved Robin S. and Rodney R. Schilt, and attempted to save Teresa A. Schilt from burning, Beaumont, Texas, May 24, 1967. At night fire broke out in a mobile home where Robin, 3; Rodney, 4; and Teresa, 5, were asleep in one of the bedrooms. Admire, 40, truck driver, ran to the home and pushed open a door into the living room. He dropped to his knees and crawled through the doorway. Flames extended downward from the ceiling in the living room and in a passageway leading to the bedrooms. Smoke was very dense. Admire crawled into the passageway and, guided by the cries of the children, made his way to their bedroom. He reached the bed, which was afire in places. Admire drew Robin and Rodney to him, but he did not see Teresa and was unaware that she was in the room. Coughing from the smoke, Admire crawled out of the bedroom with the two children. As he moved along the passageway he sustained burns from occasional contact with flames. He crawled to the door, handed the two children outside to others who had arrived, and then emerged from the mobile home. Others beat out flames on his attire. When, a short time later, Admire learned that Teresa still was inside, he crawled back into the living room. By then conditions were so severe that he was forced to retreat, and he emerged with his clothing again afire in places. Bystanders beat out the flames on Admire, and firemen extinguished those in the mobile home. The body of Teresa was found in a corner of the bedroom. Robin and Rodney recovered from smoke inhalation, and Admire’s burns healed. 49898-5429
49898 – 5429
49898-5429