A brave Muslim neighbour said he rescued a teenage girl and a woman after a suspected arson attack on a house because Islam teaches to look after your neighbours, the Manchester Evening News reports.
Hichem Haddad kicked the front door down before taking the pair to safety during the vicious fire in Rochdale on Monday morning.
During the peak of the fire, flames could been seen shooting out of the upstairs windows as more than 20 firefighters fought the blaze on Lloyd Street, Sudden.
Mr Haddad, 51, told M.E.N: “I was in my front room and I could hear someone shouting ‘Help me’, so I ran outside.
“The girl was jumping up and down on the living room windowsill shouting out of the open window, but it was too small to climb out of. She was saying there was a fire upstairs so I shouted ‘Where are the keys?’, but she didn’t know.
“I started kicking the door. It was a heavy wooden door and it took me three goes to kick it in. I grabbed the girl and dragged her out then got the woman out.
“I’ve not done it to be a hero. My religion says you look after your neighbour so that is what I did.
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“I would hope if I’m ever in a situation like this someone would do the same for me.”
Mr Haddad also commended the firefighters for bringing the fire under control.
He said: “The fire brigade did a fantastic job. I’d like to thank them for what they did, because this could have been a really terrible situation.”
Houses on the street were evacuated as firefighters, who spent most of the day at the scene, feared the flames could spread.
Greater Manchester Police said an investigation into the cause of the fire had been launched.
A 35-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger lives in connection with the incident.
