A heroic five-year-old saved his family from a fire which was roaring through their Hyde home in the early hours of this morning.
The little boy woke his dad when he smelled smoke in the kitchen, which was upstairs.
Without his intervention Crew Manager Nick Slack said the fire would have spread further through the house and could have had fatal consequences as smoke alarms weren’t installed.
“The little boy could smell the smoke and heard the fire so he woke his dad and they got out. There’s no doubt he saved his family,” he said.
Firefighters from Hyde and Ashton fire stations were called to a fire at a house on Werneth Low Road, Werneth Low, at 12.20am this morning.
“If it wasn’t for the early actions of the young lad the fire would’ve spread throughout the house and caused a lot more damage than it did,” Mr Slack added.
The house is arranged with the bedrooms downstairs and the kitchen upstairs, which allowed the family to escape as soon as the boy alerted his dad.
When crews arrived, four firefighters in breathing apparatus went in and tackled the blaze with hose reels – however the kitchen was completely destroyed.
Firefighters isolated the gas and electricity supply to the house as it is thought the fire started as a result of an electrical fault.
The mum, dad, the five-year-old boy’s friend were all saved by his actions and didn’t require any medical treatment.
Councillor David Acton, Chairman of Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Authority, urged homeowners to ensure their houses are equipped with working smoke alarms.
“It is frightening to think what might’ve happened to this family had the little boy not woken and been so responsible and quick-thinking as to wake his dad,” he said.
It is thought the family had not lived in the house for long. Fire crews will now be offering Home Safety Checks and fire safety advice to 25 neighbours in the area.
For a free Home Safety Check, which may include the fitting of up to two free smoke alarms, ring 0800 555 815.
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