Melvin C. Pernitzke saved Albert Zietlow from suffocation, Merrill, Wisconsin, June 11, 1975. When fire broke out in the living room of his house, Zietlow, 82, made his way to the kitchen but then was overcome by smoke. Pernitzke, 53, a former fireman who had recently had a cardiac operation, ran to the rear of the house and opened the kitchen door. Crawling into the smoke-filled kitchen, Pernitzke found Zietlow lying unconscious on the floor. Pernitzke dragged Zietiow to the open door, from where others removed him to the lawn . Zietlow was hospitalized for smoke inhalation.
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