Emirati man hailed as a hero after rescuing woman from Ajman fire
An Emirati man is being called a hero after rescuing a woman from a burning home.
Abdullah Al Shaheen, 34, risked his life to lead the woman to safety after a gas leak at the Ajman property.
Grabbing a sheet to protect himself from the flames, he ran into the building after hearing her screams.
Moments later he found her wandering aimlessly inside, her clothes burnt and skin exposed to the blaze.
“My home is just streets away from where the explosion happened,” he told The National.
“When I ran outside to see what was happening, everyone from the neighbourhood was there.”
The rescue happened in the Al Raqab area last Friday.
Mr Al Shaheen heard the explosion from his home and rushed outside to see if he could help.
Acting on his training as an Ajman Civil Defence employee, he quickly realised a woman was trapped in the house.
Despite part of the property having collapsed in the blast, he risked his life to try to help.
“I was feeling pretty shaky but I picked up a sheet and went inside,” he said. “I covered the woman with it and took her outside to the ambulance.”
Mr Al Shaheen said he had acted in part to teach his two sons, Zayed, 7, and Hamdan, 4, to always try to help those in trouble.
“I worked with Dubai Civil Defence for four and a half years before moving to Ajman Civil Defence,” he said.
“The continuous training [I received] at both departments has helped me prepare for emergencies like this.”
Brig Mohammed Al Suwaidi, director of Ajman Civil Defence, said the explosion was caused by a gas leak.
He said a light switch ignited the gas.
The injured woman was taken to Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Hospital where her condition is understood to be serious.