Frenchs Forest: Hero neighbour pulls mum away from burning house
A neighbour pulled a mum away from her home she was desperately trying to save after a fire tore through.
Manly
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A hero neighbour, who pulled a mum away from a burning house she was trying to save, said the blaze took hold so fast it was scary.
The man who did not want to be named, said he woke at 9.40pm on Friday night to the sound of breaking glass and yells.
He said he jumped out of bed to see three to four metres flames coming out of the top of his neighbour’s house in Aranda Dr, Frenchs Forest, that backs onto his property.
“We were sitting in our dining room, which is out the back, which has full view of their house, 15 minutes prior and there was nothing alight,” he said.
“It was that quick, it was scary.”
He said he got his wife and kids out of the house and jumped over the back fence to where the mum of three teenagers was trying to douse down the first floor deck from underneath with a hose.
“She said, ‘I’m trying to save the house’ and I said, ‘It’s way past saving’,” said the neighbour.
“I was worried that the deck was going to collapse.
“I grabbed her and said we’ve got to f***ing go.
“I dragged up her the side to the street where her husband was and he had a lot of burns.”
The neighbour said the woman was dazed and appeared to be suffering from smoke inhalation.
He checked that everyone was out of the property and he and another man raced to another neighbour’s property which was also alight.
“I grabbed the garden hose because their carport was already alight,” he said.
“There was a side wind on the house and it was bellowing three to four metre flames straight onto the garage.”
The man said he was told a gas heater was to blame for the fire.
Police said a 57-year-old man suffered burns to his hands and a 51-year-old woman suffered minor lacerations escaping the home. A teenage boy escaped without injuries.
It is believed two other teenagers were not home at the time.
The couple were treated by paramedics before being taken to Royal North Shore Hospital in stable conditions.
Police said the home was destroyed, and a number of neighbouring properties had to be evacuated.
Officers from Northern Beaches Police Area Command have established a crime scene.
The cause of the fire is not known at this stage. Inquiries continue.
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000.
