James Howard Derr, Jr., saved Irene R. Thorn from suffocation, Trenton, New Jersey, July 2, 1978. In early morning, fire broke out in a second-floor apartment occupied by Mrs. Thorn, 35; and smoke rapidly filled the rooms. Derr, 22, newspaper circulation man, entered the two-story building and, in dense smoke while visibility was nil, crawled into the apartment. He searched for Mrs. Thorn until he was forced to return outside for air. Re-entering the apartment, Derr crawled about until he located Mrs. Thorn lying unconscious on the floor. Coughing from the smoke, he dragged her to near the apartment door and was met by two policemen who, carrying Mrs. Thorn, then followed Derr down the smoke-filled stairway. Both Mrs. Thorn and Derr were treated for smoke inhalation.
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