Garage pair praised over fire rescue

The woman, believed to be aged in her 40s, was trapped in the burning house on Mount Street at about 4.30pm on Tuesday when the men – who were working at nearby Oatlands Tyre Motor Company – rushed to her aid.

Graham Chapman, 35, from Ripon, and Steven Byrne, 28, from Knaresborough, kicked the door down and after being beaten back by the flames, scaled a drainpipe to pull the woman out of her first floor bedroom window.

The pair then helped her down to safety with a ladder they had taken from the garage.

Mr Chapman, yesterday said: “I have never done anything like that before. It was a spur of the moment thing and instinct took over. We saw the smoke coming from the building and a crowd of people had gathered around.

“I went to check the front door and could hear someone coughing inside, so we broke it down.

“The woman was in the bedroom and was very dazed, there was a lot of smoke.

“I just hope somebody would do the same for me.”

Peter Hudson, group manager for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has commended their actions.

“The quick thinking and actions of the men saved the lady further serious injury and perhaps her life,” he said.