Homeowner hailed a 'hero' for extinguishing neighbour's fire while waiting for emergency services to arrive

A local man has been hailed a "hero" by West Midlands Fire Service after rushing into an elderly neighbour’s home with his own fire extinguisher to tackle a kitchen blaze.

The incident occurred at a detached bungalow on Cedarwood Road in the Dudley area, where a pan of food had caught fire.

Before emergency crews could reach the scene, the quick-thinking Lower Gornal homeowner had already entered the property and successfully doused the flames.

The elderly resident escaped without injury thanks to the neighbour's swift intervention.

West Midlands Fire Service publicly commended the man's actions, declaring: "Not all heroes wear capes!"

A spokesman said: "Shortly after 6.30pm on Monday 29 December, we responded to Cedarwood Road in the Lower Gornal area of Dudley.

"A fire engine and a 4x4 brigade response vehicle from Dudley responded, both arriving within five minutes of being mobilised.

"This was a kitchen fire involving a pan of food in a detached bungalow, which was out when we arrived.

“Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus confirmed the fire had been extinguished, and the house was ventilated.

"The elderly homeowner was given a precautionary check by paramedics and discharged at the scene."

The fire service added: "A big shout out to the neighbour of the property who grabbed his fire extinguisher and managed to extinguish the fire before it got out of control.

"Although we don't advise people tackle fires - we prefer people to get out, stay out and call 999.

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"However, on this occasion, the neighbour has done fantastic,” the service praised.

While the service acknowledged that the resident's bravery proved invaluable in this particular situation, they emphasised that such heroics do not always end well.

Fire service standard guidance advises people to evacuate immediately in the event of a fire and contact emergency services rather than attempting to fight fires themselves.

Instead, they advise that everyone should develop an escape plan for their residence in case a fire quickly spreads.

“Make sure you have an escape plan involving everyone who lives in your home and share the plan with any visitors,” West Midlands Fire Service informed.

“This means everyone will know what to do if there’s an emergency.

“It’s also useful to practice your escape plan, especially with young children, so they understand what they need to do,” they said.

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