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09:49 - 24-March-2008
Darren Dunbar, 37, has been praised by firefighters for his quick thinking after a suspected arson attack at a house in Harlech Close, Bransholme.
Speaking from the scene, painter and decorator Darren said he was woken by frantic cries for help from next door at 4.40am yesterday.
He managed to persuade the woman - named locally as Karen – to throw her two-year-old granddaughter into his arms.
Moments later, Darren coaxed the terrified 40-year-old into jumping herself.
He said: “She was crying and very reluctant to jump. But I told her straight, ‘If you don’t jump you will die in that house’.”
Darren and his wife, Nicky, along with their children Mason, 14, and Mitchell, 12, had been fast asleep when they heard the screams.
“Nicky went to the bedroom window. I got up and went into our bathroom and opened the window.
“That’s when I knew it was a fire,” he said.
“I was worried in case the gas went up, so I got the kids up and dressed. We got them out of the house and well away to safety.
“I saw Karen with her granddaughter at one of the front bedroom windows. Her son, the girl’s uncle, was at the other window.
“It was horrendous. The heat and smoke meant I couldn’t get into the house. I thought about going in, I wouldn’t have reached them.”
Darren said he did not see the uncle, aged 18, jump out of the house, but he was later accounted for by firefighters at the scene.
A younger woman who was in the house also managed to escape.
All four were taken to Hull Royal Infirmary for treatment for smoke inhalation but were not seriously hurt.
Witness Danielle Gray, 18, of Colwyn Close which is opposite where the blaze happened, said: “I could see the front door of the house was glowing orange. It looked really bad.”
Steve Topham, Humberside Fire and Rescue Service spokesman, said: “Before the arrival of the service, a two-year-old female child was dropped from a bedroom window and caught by a neighbour in a daring rescue effort.
“Undoubtedly, this incident could have been much worse. Having smoke detectors clearly saved the lives of the occupants.
“The quick thinking and actions of the neighbour should also be congratulated.
“Knowing what to do in the event of a fire is imperative, in addition to having a good bedtime routine, which should always include closing doors to prevent fire spreading.”
The fire is being treated as suspicious and a joint investigation between Humberside Fire and Rescue Service and Humberside Police is under way.
Harlech Close is just a 10-minute walk from Grassington Close, where a woman died in a house fire last Wednesday.
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They are big things to put out at sea and would affect a lot of people’s livelihood
Steve Cowan, Bridlington & Flamborough Fisherman’s Association
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