'He was lying in the porch - we just saw his legs'

A man who disregarded his own safety to charge into a burning house and rescue its elderly owner who was trapped inside has played down any praise for his bravery.

Ian Woolfenden, 62, was working as a tarmacer in Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, on Wednesday when he discovered that somebody could not escape the blaze.

Along with a neighbour, the 62-year-old from Oldham broke into the property and pulled the man from the flames.

"He was lying in the porch and we just saw his legs," Woolfenden told BBC Radio Manchester before adding: "I don't feel like it was brave - you just react."

North West Ambulance Service confirmed one man had been taken to hospital following the fire.

His condition is not known.

Woolfenden said he was finishing work for the day at 15:00 GMT on Eskdale Road - one street away from where the fire had broken out on Coniston Avenue.

"A couple walked up and said they'd spotted a fire and then the lad I worked with spotted it, so we went down," he said. "It was a proper intense fire.

"The house was ablaze as we walked up to it - and the next minute the bottom-floor windows blew out.

"I've never witnessed anything like that in my life.

"You could feel the heat coming off the fire on your face."

After a woman nearby told him that the homeowner was likely to be inside, Woolfenden said he approached the burning home to see a man lying down in the front porch.

"He was on the floor, sort of tapping on the window," Woolfenden said. "I think he realised there was a fire, came out of his front door, then the porch door was locked.

"The smoke had got hold of him - he could hardly move."

Mr Woolfenden said he attempted to break the glass window with his foot before enlisting the help of a nearby neighbour, who used a rock to smash the glass.

"I told him [the neighbour] to go and get a rock - because I tried kicking and it won't go.

"Then we kicked the remaining glass in and sort of dragged him out.

"I got in the porch and I got the back end of him and I told the neighbour to get his feet, and we carried him out.

"It was red hot - but it only took seconds because he was only a thin, frail fella.

"He was moving his arms but he couldn't speak at all - I think because of the smoke."

Woolfenden said he and the neighbour helped to carry the man across the road where he was able to receive treatment from emergency services.

Following the incident, Woolfenden told BBC Radio Manchester he felt his actions had been instinctive rather than brave.

"If I hadn't have seen him on the floor I wouldn't have gone anywhere near it," he said. "But when you know someone is definitely inside you don't think, you just act."

A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) confirmed that a crew had attended the fire.

They said an "elderly male casualty" had been taken to hospital via air ambulance.

Firefighters extinguished the fire before carrying out further checks on the house and neighbouring properties.

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