Steger, Illinois
Charles G. Gluckleder rescued Tyree Miller, Sr., and Tyree Miller, Jr., from burning, Chicago Heights, Illinois, October 14, 2015. Miller, 88, and his son, 64, were in second-floor bedrooms of their 2.5-story house after fire broke out in Miller’s bedroom. The second floor quickly filled with smoke, and Miller collapsed just inside his bedroom doorway. Alerted to the fire, his son started to drag Miller to the top of the stairs, but he too collapsed in the thick smoke. On his way to work, Gluckleder, 56, maintenance worker, came upon the burning house and, not seeing anyone about, stopped to see if it was occupied. He gained entry through the front door and ascended the nearby stairs to the second floor, where dense smoke precluded visibility and the heat was intense. Groping, he found both men on the floor near the top of the stairs. Miller’s son was barely conscious, and although he greatly outweighed Gluckleder, Gluckleder maneuvered him to the top of the stairs and stumbled down them with him. Gluckleder returned to the second floor, grasped Miller, who was unconscious, by the legs, and dragged him downstairs. At some point others had arrived, and they helped take Miller and his son from the house to safety. Miller and his son were hospitalized for treatment of their burns, and Miller died 11 days later. Gluckleder also required hospital treatment, for smoke inhalation, and he recovered.
87770-9865