Heroic neighbour helps to save family’s lives in blaze at home
A HEROIC neighbour helped to save the lives of a father and his two sons as flames engulfed their family home in Leeds.
Yesterday’s devastating fire at the house in The Crossways, Otley, has left Matthew Dykes and his children with no home and virtually no possessions.
It also claimed the life of the family’s American bulldog, Maisie, who could not be saved due to the intensity of the blaze.
But 44-year-old Mr Dykes is simply grateful that he and his sons were able to escape thanks to quick-thinking Olivier Masekessabou, who threw a ladder up to a bedroom window after hearing their cries.
“I got myself out and then watched everything I own go up in flames,” he said. “We’re all out and we’re all safe though, apart from Maisie unfortunately. All the other stuff is material and we can get that back again.”
Mr Dykes described being woken by smoke detectors sounding and finding black, acrid smoking billowing up the stairs.
He moved sons Bailey, 12, and Finlay, 10, into a back bedroom, opened the window and began to shout out.
Meanwhile, Mr Masekessabou ushered his own family out of their house when the alarm kept sounding and heard their pleas.
“I was screaming for help,” Mr Dykes said. “Fortunately I had a ladder outside the house and Olivier put it up. He pretty much saved us.”
The children climbed to safety before Matthew tried in vain to reach Maisie downstairs.
Firefighters called to the scene at 1.30am gave oxygen treatment to Matthew and the boys before they were taken to Harrogate District Hospital.
“I would really like to thank the hospital,” Mr Dykes said. “All the neighbours have been absolutely brilliant too.”
The family are due to go to Spain soon for what will be the boys’ first holiday abroad but the family passports somehow survived the fire. A West Yorkshire Fire Service spokeswoman said the fire was accidental, most likely linked to an open fire.