Quick-thinking police officers save man from townhouse fire - Fairfield East
Published: 27 Oct 2023 02:17pm
Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) is praising the actions of four police officers who kicked open a door to rescue a man from his burning home at Fairfield East, in Sydney's south-west.
Around 4:15am today, emergency services were deployed to the townhouse on Mitchell Street, where a blaze had broken out in a bedroom.
NSW Police were first to arrive on-scene and quickly established that a man was trapped inside.
They forced open a door and found him lying on the ground, suffering the impacts of smoke inhalation.
The officers carried the man from the home, with firefighters administering oxygen, before NSW Ambulance paramedics transported him to hospital.
The police officers involved in the rescue were also taken to hospital for precautionary health checks.
FRNSW crews stopped flames from spreading to neighbouring units before extinguishing the fire a short time later.
FRNSW Superintendent Adam Dewberry said, if not for the quick-thinking actions of the police officers, the outcome could have been tragic.
"The officers acted quickly to remove this man from danger, freeing him before the fire had a chance to push out from the room of origin to where he was located," Supt Dewberry said.
"These actions likely saved the man's life and are to be commended."
Experts from FRNSW's Fire Investigation and Research Unit (FIRU) are working to determine what caused the fire.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Additional images from the scene are available via the FRNSW website.
Updated: 27 Oct 2023 02:21pm
Related safety topics
It“s the law to have at least one working smoke alarm installed on every level of your home.
The best way to keep you and your family safe is to prevent fires from occurring and know what to do in case of a fire.
Details about this incident may change and should not be used as emergency information and/or advice.
For all life threatening emergencies, call Triple Zero (000)
For flood information, warnings or requests for non-life threatening assistance, call the SES on 132 500 or visit the NSW State Emergency Service website here. [external link].
For information directly relating to bushfires please call the Bush Fire Information Line on 1800 679 737 or visit the NSW Rural Fire Service Website here. [external link]
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