Two quick-thinking, brave men have come to the rescue of a neighbour whose bedroom caught fire on Wednesday morning.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Youngtown resident Fabian Guegant knew something was wrong when he heard his neighbour screaming and the fire alarm going.
“I said to Brian, I said ‘I believe there is a fire next door’,” Mr Guegant said.
His friend Brian Rogers went to check on the neighbours as Mr Guegant fetched his hose.
“I get there and the guy comes rushing out of the house, so I quickly had a look,” Mr Rogers said.
The bedroom of the Belgrave Parade house was well alight, with Mr Rogers describing seeing smoke up to his shoulders.
“I managed to get the hose off Fabian, his hose, and then the owner came back in with his hose and we were there side-by-side hosing the fire,” Mr Rogers said.
“The smoke was so high, the mattress was well ablaze and just all chaos.”
IN OTHER NEWS
Mr Guegant said Mr Rogers was gone for at least five minutes.
“I was starting to be worried,” Mr Guegant said.
Mr Rogers and the owner of the house managed to get the blaze under control, but the heroic neighbours weren’t finished yet.
Mr Guegant was concerned about the possibility of fire in the roof, so he looked for the manhole.
“I just opened the manhole and hosed through the manhole to make sure the roof was not on fire,” he said.
Mr Guegant’s white t-shirt was covered in black debris from the fire.
The neighbours also assisted the owner of the house by hosing the burns on his hands.
Two Tasmania Fire Service crews attended the scene, with Launceston station officer Ben Wilson praising the neighbours’ actions.
“At this stage we are leaning towards an accidental cause but we are still undertaking investigations,” he said.
The fire caused about $20,000 damage.