Blind and deaf man ‘shaky’ after being rescued from fire in Brisbane

A local hero saved his blind and deaf neighbour from a devastating fire south of Brisbane, kicking in the door and dragging him to safety.

A heroic neighbour has saved a disabled man from a devastating fire south of Brisbane, kicking in the door and dragging him to safety.

Emergency services were called to Arac Street in Woodridge after 8:30pm on Friday.

The house was well involved with resident Kelvin trapped inside.

His neighbour Matthew Mosterd, 42, raced to rescue Kelvin after hearing his cries for help.

“We saw smoke and heard Kelvin bellowing out,” Mr Mosterd said.

“We came up to just have a look and see the fire going on in the front window and Kelvin in the back so we went and kicked the back door in and just dragged him out.”

Mr Mosterd said he had the help of one of his neighbours who lived across the street, but didn’t know his name.

A local hero saved his blind and deaf neighbour from a devastating fire in Brisbane last night.

“Kelvin is blind and deaf so he couldn’t find his way out,” he said.

“It‘s just Kelvin that lives there... his carer wasn’t there.

“We just put his arm over our shoulder and went ‘come on Kelvin’.

“He was a bit shaky afterwards but he was ok.”

Mr Mosterd said he was unsure what the cause of the fire could be.

“We don’t know but it may have been a cigarette,” he said.

Mr Mosterd said he knows Kelvin smokes.

Neighbour Matthew Mosterd ran into the house. Picture: Richard Walker

Mr Mosterd said he wasn’t scared when he went to save Kelvin.

“I didn’t even think, I just knew we had to get him out before he burned,” he said.

Having been a builder for 10 plus years, Mr Mosterd knew where the gas and main switches were to go and turn everything off.

Mr Mosterd said this wasn’t his first fight with fire.

He’s had two small fires at his house previously.

“I have three small fire extinguishers now,” he said.

“I got them and tried to use them at the base of the window”.

A local hero saved his blind and deaf neighbour from a fire on Friday. Picture: Paige Mosterd

But the small fire extinguishers were no match for the fire, Mr Mosterd said within 30 seconds of using them the whole house had gone up in flames.

Mr Mosterd’s daughter Paige, 15 said she wasn’t worried about her dad.

She jokingly said her dad seemed to be fireproof after having to put out a fire in their garage and shed.

“We‘ve had two fires at ours but none as big as this one,” Paige said as she pointed to the wreckage.

Paige said her sister didn’t hear the commotion last night.

“I think she was either asleep or playing on her iPad,” she said.

Other nearby residents have said they awoke to lights and sirens.

“It was pretty scary seeing the house next door on fire,” one said.

Another resident said they lost power all last night, and only returned around 11am Saturday morning.