Blaze hero pair saved man from flat flames

Marilyn Muir, 61, and Margaret Andrew, 65, saw flames coming from the home of an 80-year-old man on Little Norton Avenue, Norton, Sheffield, on August 6 this year.

The pair went inside the smoke-filled flat and found the occupant in the kitchen. Although he initially refused to leave, Mrs Muir and Mrs Andrew managed to lead him outside to safety and then checked the fire was out.

The man was treated at the scene by paramedics but was not seriously injured.

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue’s area manager, Phil Shillito, said: “Marilyn and Margaret acted very quickly to come to the help of a neighbour who was clearly in danger.

“Although this wasn’t a huge blaze there was a large amount of smoke so it was vital that this gentleman was taken outside to safety as quickly as possible.”

The blaze started in a toaster, damaging the work surface and other parts of the kitchen. The occupant had extinguished the fire but was surrounded by smoke when his rescuers arrived.

At a presentation at the South Yorkshire brigade’s Lowedges fire station, Mrs Muir and Mrs Andrew were both awarded a Certificate of Appreciation for their actions.

Mrs Muir, a retired Post Office worker, said: “It is really nice to be recognised but I think the real heroes are the firefighters who attend incidents like this all year round. I would do the same thing again because I believe helping people is the right thing to do.”

Mrs Andrew, a former petrol station attendant at Sainsbury’s, added: “I’ve got a great deal of respect for the work all the emergency services do so it is fantastic to receive recognition from the fire service.”