Ruth S. Nazzaro attempted to save John E. Foston from burning, Revere, Massachusetts, January 9, 1945. Foston, 79, was in a rear room on the third floor of a frame apartment house when fire started in a room directly beneath him. His wife ran to a rear porch, descended a stairway to the ground, and asked Mrs. Nazzaro, 31, clerk, to aid Foston from the third floor apartment. Meanwhile Foston, who suffered from a heart ailment and was generally inactive, was aided by his daughter to the rear porch and was left there. All other persons left the house. Mrs. Nazzaro ran to the front door of the apartment house while another woman, observing Foston on the rear porch, aided him to descend the rear stairway to the ground. Ascending stairways to the third floor, Mrs. Nazzaro entered a bedroom in dense smoke. She felt over a bed and then crawled part way under it and groped. Moving to another bed, she repeated her actions and then got to her feet in dense smoke that was within two feet of the floor. A fireman then discovered her in a stupor and pulled her to a hallway. She became limp, and he carried her to a window. Having revived somewhat, she was lowered to a ladder and descended with help. The fire soon was extinguished. 40362-3406
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