Dramatic rescue by town’s firemen

12:20pm Friday 10th October 2008

Comments (0)   Have your say »

A PAIR of cousins from Tenbury fire brigade have rescued an elderly man from a burning house in Leysters.

Firecrews from Tenbury and Leominster have been praised after the dramatic rescue on Tuesday evening.

Crews were called to The Nook, opposite the Duke of York pub, shortly after 6.30pm when neighbours raised the alarm.

They found an elderly man, thought to be a former pilot in his late 70s, unconscious in the kitchen amid thick, black smoke.

The man is now recovering in Hereford County Hospital – and he owes his life to a family connection.

Wearing breathing equipment, Tenbury firefighters Dan and Ashley James, broke down the front door and pulled the man to safety.

The pair, both retained firefighters, are cousins while Station Officer David James, who also joined the operation, is Dan’s father.

Ashley, aged 39, has played down their role in the rescue but admits their timing was crucial.

“It could have been a very nasty situation – we were told by the ambulance crew there was an elderly man in there, so we put on our breathing equipment and went in,” he said.

“We managed to smash the glass in the front door, made our way in and found the man on the floor in front of the cooker.”

Two fire engines from Tenbury and one from Leominster attended the blaze, which was confined to the kitchen and started after food on an unattended hob caught alight. The man was taken to hospital after inhaling smoke but suffered no other injuries.

Alec Mackie, fire service press officer, thanked neighbours for raising the alarm and said Leominster fire officers played a major part because their safety team installed three fire alarms in the house a few months before.

“This was a fantastic rescue and Dan and Ashley played a major part,” he said. “But these working fire alarms were equally important, as they alerted the people living nearby who were able to call the fire brigade.”