Local hero honoured for braving the flames

A LOCAL firefighter has been awarded a commendation for bravery for helping rescue three people from a savage fire in a Redfern apartment building last year.

Station Officer Brendan Cox and his crew entered the burning building after arriving on the scene at about 8.15am on November 15.

Once inside they found a woman on a staircase who told the firefighters her three children were still trapped inside and refused to leave the building.

Mr Cox, who has two young children, said the thought of children being trapped in the burning building made the crew incredibly anxious.

“There was sort of a lot of – not panic – but it was pretty emotional because we thought there were children involved,” he said.

Mr Cox was standing-by on the stairwell while two of the crew members, wearing breathing apparatus, entered a room and found a 25-year-old man in a bathtub with the water running, suffering terrible burns.

The officers pulled him out and handed him to Mr Cox who took him to safety before returning to the building’s third floor, where his crew had been attracted to the sound of a young woman screaming in a room that was well alight.

The crew was able to hold back the flames with a high pressure hose long enough to find the woman and throw a quilt over her before Mr Cox carried her to safety.

At this point Mr Cox and his crew still thought there may be children trapped in the building, but 10 minutes later their fears were allayed.

The two women survived the fire, but the young man Mr Cox carried to safety later died.

Mr Cox said he believed the man had run through the fire, trying to save his family.

He said he was pleased and surprised to be awarded a Commissioner’s Commendation for Courageous Action for his part in the rescues.

“When you do it you just really don’t expect anything,” he said.

“You’re happy to get a pat on the back and leave it at that.”