Man who warned residents of fire hailed a 'hero'

A passer-by who alerted residents at a block of flats to a large fire developing in the building has been described as a "hero".

Sarad Yousaf, 43, saw flames and smoke billowing from the roof of the block on Moorgate Road in Rotherham at about 17:30 BST on Monday.

He phoned 999 before running into the building and banging on doors to warn people to get out. South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that no-one was injured.

Saleem Ahmed, who lives in the block and only found out it was on fire when Mr Yousaf banged on his door, said: "He put his own life at risk. I could have died. I call him a hero."

Mr Yousaf runs a phone shop in the town centre and said he was walking home past the Moorgate Lodges building, as he has done daily for the past 15 years, when he saw flames.

"There was a little chimney on the roof with smoke and fire but nobody was coming out of the building," he said.

"I then realised I could see the eaves and guttering and there were flames there too, so I thought it must be a major fire. I phoned 999 and ran across the road."

There are 28 flats in the building and after banging on the front door, Mr Yousaf managed to get the attention of Mr Ahmed inside the building.

"I thought he was a parcel delivery person, he was waving his arms," Mr Ahmed said.

"He told me, 'get out of the building, can't you see the building is on fire?'"

Mr Yousaf said he then entered the building, banged on doors and pressed the fire alarm button.

"I was panicked for them and shouting," he said.

"I think there were night workers who were sleeping during the day, I didn't want them to think I was a mad man.

"The wind must have blown the embers because then they saw and smelled the burning through the windows."

Mr Ahmed, a former taxi driver, said he had "lost everything" in the fire, including documents and clothes.

The Red Cross have provided him with new clothes and Rotherham Council has temporarily re-housed him in alternative accommodation, he said.

"My mind is seeing the boom, banging and fire brigade," he added.

"The fire was so aggressive and it spread so quickly. I was dozing on the bed."

He said Mr Yousaf had "saved" him.

A spokesperson for South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said crews were called to the building on Monday afternoon and did not leave the scene until 22:00 the following day.

"On arrival crews discovered one residential property with a fully involved fire within its roof," they said.

At the height of the fire, there were seven fire engines, one aerial ladder and a number of specialist support vehicles on the scene, the spokesperson added.

They said the fire was "believed to have started accidentally".

"We are aware of the brave actions of a passer-by who helped raise the alarm to those within the building.

"We would like to thank him for his actions but also remind the public of the dangers of entering a burning building."

The organisation advised people to call 999 if they see a building on fire and wait for firefighters to arrive.

The spokesperson said the safety team were working to understand why the alarm system was not automatically activated at the building.

Mr Yusaf said: "I did what any normal person would have done. But the fire brigade, they do this every day, day in, day out - they're the real heroes.

"I'm just really happy that people got out, that's the most important thing."

John Holman, interim assistant director of housing at Rotherham Council, said the authority was supporting 18 families who were affected by the fire, adding that 12 of them had been temporarily rehoused.

The rest had made their own arrangements but the council was "working closely" with all those affected, he added.

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