Four men save man and woman from blazing flat

A man and a woman have been saved from a house fire following the heroic efforts of a retired fire officer, two off-duty firefighters and a member of the public who battled the fierce heat and smoke.

The four men dragged the man from the first floor flat and were returning to save the woman when the emergency services arrived at the scene. The man and woman, both in their 40s, were taken to hospital where they were said to be in a critical condition, suffering from burns and smoke inhalation. A teenager who had leapt from a window was also treated for slight injuries.

The blaze was spotted at around 6.30pm on Saturday and shortly afterwards Fire Officer Billy Charteris passed the scene on his way to work at the nearby fire station.

Mr Charteris said: "I could see a girl hanging from a window. I had my uniform with me in the car so I put on my tunic for protection and ran into the building. It was very fortunate that we were there. Had it not been for that, I'm sure it would have been a tragedy."

A short time after Mr Charteris arrived another off-duty firefighter attended and a member of the public, who had knowledge of first aid, also assisted in the rescue.

Fire Brigade spokesman Assistant Divisional Commander John Wilson said: "It's fair to say that these people owe their lives to these men."

(GMcG)