White van men rescue three after house is set ablaze
A PAIR of white van men have been hailed heroes after rescuing three people from a burning house - then driving off to work.
Scott Ashworth, 42, and Jamie Dent, 36, pulled up at traffic lights in Hazel Grove early on Tuesday morning when they noticed two men and a woman hanging out of a upstairs window desperately shouting for help. Flames and smoke from a deliberately started fire had trapped them upstairs.
So the workmates reversed their van up the drive, off London Road, to stop under the window so a man and woman could jump onto the roof to safety. They then caught the second man as he jumped from a window they could not reach with the van. Police are investigating the fire, which started when three wheelie bins were set alight and one pushed against the front porch. All three victims were given oxygen and taken to hospital but were not seriously hurt.
APAIR of white van men have been hailed heroes after rescuing three people from a burning house - then driving off to work.
Scott Ashworth, 42, and Jamie Dent, 36, pulled up at traffic lights in Hazel Grove early on Tuesday morning when they noticed two men and a woman hanging out of a upstairs window desperately shouting for help.
Flames and smoke from a deliberately started fire had trapped them upstairs. So the workmates reversed the van up the burning house’s drive, off London Road, to stop under the window so a man and women could jump onto the roof to safety. They then caught the second man as he jumped from another window they could not reach with the van.
Firefighters from Offerton, King Street and Whitehill stations were called at 4.45am and put out the fire, which is being treated as arson.
Scott said: “It is fortunate we were there as we were late for work and had taken a wrong turn. We were at traffic lights and I put my head out of the window and saw a house on fire.
“We couldn’t get inside as the door was ablaze so we span the van round and backed it up to the window.
“We’d do the same again, we just used a bit of initiative. They are lucky we happened to be driving past.”
The pair work for Flagship Shelf Fitters and were travelling from their home town of Mansfield to a job at Selfridge’s, in Manchester city centre.
Police are investigating the fire, which started when three wheelie bins were set alight. One was pushed against the front porch.
All three victims were given oxygen and then taken to Stepping Hill, but were not seriously harmed.
The blaze has left some fire damage to the front of the house and extensive smoke damage throughout.
Matt Lewis, crew manager at Offerton station, said: “It was amazing really, a couple of lads were at the traffic lights when they saw it and reversed 50 yards up the drive so they could jump onto it. It was a great bit of initiative, a bit of a miracle.
“The men in the van helped then just went on their way to work.”
A relative of one of the victims, who did not want to be named, thanked the rescuers.
She said: “They were very brave and we are extremely grateful.”