A Leeds man has spoken out after desperately trying to rescue his neighbour who was trapped in a burning house.
Firefighters from West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service were called to Albany Terrace, Armley, following reports of a fire on Monday, January 17, at 3.06pm.
Thick smoke was seen billowing from the windows of the house and people on the street could see a woman stuck in her home and trying to get out.
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Dale Knights, who lives on the street, was told by his friends they had seen smoke coming from the woman's house and handed his eight-month-old son to a friend before rushing to the house with a hammer.
He smashed the window of the door at the back of the home to let himself into the property but due to the fire and the amount of smoke in the kitchen and living room, he had to get out.
The 28-year-old then went to the front of the home where he was joined by a few more people who were trying to get into the house to also get her out.
But fortunately, the fire service arrived in the nick of time and managed to rescue the woman.
Speaking to LeedsLive, he said: “I ended up going in the house, I got in the kitchen where the living room and the kitchen are split into two. I had to come back out I was taking too much smoke.
“My adrenaline was high.
“I ended breaking the front window, there were a few of us we couldn't go upstairs to get her by the time we got in the fire brigade came.”
In a statement published by the fire service on Monday, they stated a woman was rescued from the property and another person, Dale, was left in the care of Yorkshire Ambulance Service.
Dale’s partner Izabella, 25, added she was “shocked” at his fast-thinking decision and said he has been struggling since.
Dale added that he keeps thinking “I should have done more” to rescue the woman.
“It’s been bad, my depression is bad,” he said. “I’m OK. I’m having sleepless nights and I'm stressed. It’s traumatic, keeps playing in my mind, I should have done more for her. I saw her family members in the hospital and said she was sitting up talking.
“I spoke to the family members yesterday and they said you’re a hero - you tried as much as you could to save her.
“I didn’t try to be a hero or anything, I just wanted to make sure my neighbour was okay.”
The fire service previously said: “A West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: "We got the call at 3.06pm to reports of a house fire in Albany Terrace. We sent crews from Stanningley, Leeds and Cookridge.
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"We've rescued one female from the property and she's been left with the ambulance service.
"Another person, who we didn't rescue but is a casualty, he's also been left in the care of Yorkshire Ambulance Service.
"Our Fire Investigation Team are en route, so we'll know more about that in the coming days. The fire has been extinguished."
