Dalby heroes pull man from burning house

Three brave Dalby men sacrificed their own safety and pushed through the thick shroud of smoke that had filled a burning home, after hearing a man trapped inside and desperate for help. Read their heroic story:

Three Dalby men are being hailed as heroes after forcing their way into a burning home to save the life of another man, who was suffocating as a thick shroud of smoke took hold.

While on the way to Dalby Shoppingworld, labourer Murray McCallum, 32, spotted smoke billowing into the sky before from a burning home located on the normally quiet corner of Pratten and New Sts.

Another man, who was first on the scene, immediately called emergency services and a third man pulled over his car after realising an incredibly dangerous situation was unfolding.

The third man banged on the front door of the house, hearing another man’s voice coming from inside the house, which was quickly being consumed by flames.

After realising the front door was locked and there was no easy way into the home, the three men used a sledgehammer to smash through the front window.

Mr McCallum said with black smoke rapidly filling the home, there was no way of ensuring that the trapped man was clear from shattering glass.

“You couldn’t see him at the window because of how thick the smoke was,” he said.

Dalby house fire. Picture: Emily Devon

Neighbours and houses half way down the street could smell the strong stench of flames polluting the air, according to one of the other heroes who asked not to be named.

“We only saw his hand up on the window, he was on the floor struggling to breathe and coughing a lot from all the smoke. He wasn’t in a good way,” he said.

The three men joined forces and pulled the trapped man, who they described as being “hot as a cup of coffee”, through the front window, each suffering cuts to themselves in their bravery.

Mr McCallum credits his Akubra to stopping fire fallout from hitting his head.

“It was immediate to go in and help, make sure there was no one in the house,” he said.

It only took minutes for emergency services to arrive at the scene, however the blaze was so intense that even the fire crews were unable to get inside immediately.

“It took them at least four minutes to break through the door,” Mr McCallum said.

The trapped man, described as being middle-aged, was transported to Dalby Hospital in a stable condition.

Dalby Police are still investigating how the house caught fire.