A NEW Forest man is today lucky to be alive after an off duty fire fighter rescued him from a burning flat.
The 50-year-old was saved by retained fire fighter Brad Wilson who was alerted to the blaze, in Lyndhurst High Street, on his way home last night.
Despite having no protective clothing or breathing apparatus, he managed to battle through smoke and flames to find the occupant on the second floor of the mid-terrace apartment.
Fire crews from Totton, Lyndhurst and Brockenhurst arrived just before 11pm to tackle the blaze, which caused extensive fire damage downstairs and smoke damage upstairs.
By the time they had arrived, fire fighter Wilson had led the victim to safety where he was treated by medics for smoke inhalation.
Watch manager Gary Baynton said: "If I'm being perfectly blunt, Brad's actions basically went a long way to saving the man's life."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article