Franklin S. Lindsey saved Joseph L. Thompson, Jr., and attempted to save Charles D. and Valarie E. Thompson from burning, Albuquerque, New Mexico, October 16, 1961. Joseph, 5, Charles, 2, and Valarie, 4, were in a four-door sedan in a parking lot when fire broke out in the rear seat section in which gasoline earlier had been spilled. Joseph was in the front seat, and Charles and Valarie were in the rear compartment. Noticing smoke issuing from an open front door window, Lindsey, 58, printer, ran to the sedan and opened the front door. Although he could see nothing in the dense smoke and had heard no cries, Lindsey thought someone might be inside the vehicle. He held his breath and extended his head and shoulders into the front compartment. Feeling about, he found Joseph huddled on the seat beneath flames, which by then had appeared in the smoke over the top of the front seat. Lindsey quickly removed Joseph from the automobile and continued probing about the seat. Forced to inhale some smoke, he withdrew from the sedan as the flames increased rapidly. Thinking others might be in the rear section, the door of which was locked, he reached around the dividing post and attempted without success to release the safety catch, sustaining an arm burn. Conditions then forced him to withdraw from the sedan. Further rescue efforts were prevented as massive flames completely filled the passenger compartment. Firemen put out the flames. The bodies of Charles and Valarie were found in the rear compartment.
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