A real-life escape drama for mum who rescued her elderly neighbour from fire
HERO BRAVED SMOKE TO CARRY WOMAN TO SAFETY
A HEROIC mum saved her elderly neighbour’s life by carrying her from her burning flat as flames took hold.
When she saw billowing smoke, brave Shelly Burton, who runs an escape room business in Derby, suddenly had to deal with a real lifeor-death escape emergency.
She managed to calm her confused and terrified neighbour and summon the strength to carry her to safety after her food trolley caught fire.
The drama started when Shelly, who was at home alone with her eight-month-old son, heard an alarm and saw smoke pouring from her neighbour’s flat in Church Lane, Barrow-on-trent.
Alarmed at the sight and knowing that her elderly neighbour rarely leaves her flat, Shelly rushed to help.
“Her Zimmer frame, which is like a trolley to put meals on, it was in front of her and the whole thing was in flames, it was completely engulfed,” said Shelly, who runs Make Your Escape, in Osmaston Road, Derby.
“She was there and she looked terrified. She was leaning as far back as she could in the chair because she couldn’t get up.
“She can only move with the frame so she couldn’t move. She wasn’t shouting for help or anything, she just looked really scared.”
Shelly, 37, explained how she then pushed the plastic trolley away, which was melting under the heat of the flames, and managed to save her neighbour, Sue Sharp.
Sue, 84, who suffers from dementia, was hesitant to be moved from the flat, but Shelly managed to carry her downstairs away from the fire.
Shelly, who suffers from pelvic girdle pain, was surprised that she managed to carry Sue from the flat due to a weakness in her hips.
“Sue didn’t come quietly. She was saying ‘put me down,’ but I just had to get her out,” said Shelly, who also had her infant son to look after.
“I took her outside and put her on the grass quickly and then all I was thinking about was my son, I had to get my son out, because I didn’t know if smoke was coming into our flat.
“I was shouting ‘fire’ to the neighbours, and then ran in to get my son, wrapped him in a dressing gown and put him down on the grass.
“Some neighbours came out to check on her and called the fire brigade and wrapped her up so she was warm.
“A couple of neighbours went into the fire and managed to put the fire out to stop it spreading too much and then the fire brigade came and dealt with the rest.”
Darren Sharp, one of Sue’s sons, expressed how grateful he was to Shelly for carrying his mother out of the burning flat.
He believes that if she had not acted so quickly, his mother would have likely sustained more serious injuries or died as a result.
He said: “It’s nearly impossible to put into words how grateful both my brother Vince and I are for Shelley’s heroic actions.
“She undoubtedly saved our mother’s life.
“Entering my mother’s flat, not knowing the state of a possible fire, then getting her downstairs to safety, with courage and determination all the way.
“Our thanks extend to the other neighbours who entered the flat to extinguish the fire as well. Outstanding.”
The fire, which happened on August 29, is believed to have been caused by a match, with flames spreading to books on the trolley. Shelly says that the fire would have spread much further if Sue had carpeted flooring, rather than hardwood.
Both flats were left with minimal water and fire damage, and all those involved were checked over by medical professionals and given the all clear.
It’s nearly impossible to put into words how grateful we are for Shelley’s heroic actions.
Darren Sharp