W. Frank McRee, 47, furniture salesman, saved Lamar Thomas, Jr., 10 months, and attempted to save Vanessa Thomas, 4, from burning, Rutledge, Georgia, October 26, 1965. When fire broke out in the living room of a one- story frame dwelling, Lamar and his sister Vanessa ran into the bedroom. McRee was outside talking with the children’s father, whose vision was extremely poor. Running to the front door, McRee opened it but was driven back by dense smoke laced with flames. He then ran to the bedroom window and heard the children crying. He kicked out the glass and, despite dense smoke and intense heat, stepped into the room. Flames had spread throughout the living room and to the door of the bedroom. Crawling about the floor, McRee found Lamar, took him to the window, and thrust him through the opening to the father. By the time McRee had crawled to the middle of the room, Vanessa was no longer crying and he was unable to find her in the dense smoke which made him cough. The roof of the living room began falling. McRee returned to the window and dived through the opening. Within seconds the bedroom was filled with flames. Firemen arrived and put out the flames on remaining portions of the outer walls. They found the body of Vanessa in the ruins
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