A man who broke into a burning flat to save his 72-year-old neighbour’s life has told SalfordOnline.com he hoped anyone else would do the same.
Anis Boulehl, 39, originally from Tunisia, was woken at 2am on Tuesday 28 July at his flat on Devon Close by the piercing sound of a smoke alarm.
Three fire crews from Agecroft and Salford were on the way, but the elderly man was asleep on a sofa inside and could have easily died from the fumes.
Read: Neighbour breaks into flat to save Eccles pensioner trapped by fire
He told SalfordOnline.com today: “I smelled what seemed like burning electric wire, so I checked my television and other electrical appliances and they were all okay.”
Venturing outside into the corridor and heading downstairs he saw thick black smoke pouring from under the door of one of the flats.
“I banged on the door but got no response so I forced open a boiler room door and seized a shovel.
“I knew immediately that this was a bad situation and that I had to act quickly,” said Anis.
“I smashed a window to his flat and forced entry.
“The smoke was so thick it made breathing very difficult.
“I turned on the light and saw my neighbour unconscious, lying half on the settee and half on the floor.”
Without thinking of his own safety he pulled his T-shirt over his mouth to block off the black fumes, pulled the man from the sofa and dragged him into the open air outside.
“Despite me covering my face I felt like I was choking with the amount of smoke that I had inhaled,” Anis said.
“I managed to wake him up, thankfully, but to my amazement when he came around he wanted to go back into the flat to rescue some money that he had inside.
“Fortunately for him the fire crew arrived with full oxygen tanks and breathing apparatus and brought him out for a second time.”
The blaze had started in an electric oven when the 72-year-old was making his dinner, but he had fallen asleep on the sofa with the dark, hazy fumes swirling around his living room.
We asked Anis if he feared for his own life in rescuing his neighbour.
“No, because I knew that I had to make a split second decision to rescue him.
“I didn’t now how long it would be before the emergency services arrived and by then it could have been too late.
“I hope that is exactly what other people would do if they found themselves in a similar situation.
“I am no hero, I just knew that I had to react quickly and save his life.”
Image: Anis Bouhlel (top left) and Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue crews
