A Muslim man in the South Yorkshire town of Rotherham has hit the headlines after showing extraordinary bravery to save the lives of dozens of families inside a burning building.
Local business owner Sarad Yousaf says he was walking home along Moorgate Road in Rotherham when he saw smoke and flames coming out of the chimney.
The quick-thinking 43-year-old said he had walked past the same building for 15 years but was surprised to see smoke coming from the chimney.
“I’ve been going past that place for 15 years and have never seen fire coming out like that” said Mr Yousaf, speaking to the local Star Newspaper.
“I knew that people lived in there so I went over and called 999. I went towards the entrance and started banging on the door.
“Someone came up and said ‘what the hell do you want?’ – I was like ‘the building is on fire, you need to get out!’”
After being let inside the building, Mr Yousaf quickly set off the fire alarm and put himself at considerable risk by going door to door inside the burning building, trying to alert people and helping them to escape.
Subscribe to our newsletter and stay updated on the latest news and updates from around the Muslim world!
He said that as he ran, banging on doors, most people seemed confused and unsure how to respond until they saw the smoke.
“It was just really surreal”, he said.
“We’re lucky they all got out – I was just trying to get as many out as possible.”
The large building, which housed 28 different families within it, was left completely gutted by the fire that engulfed the entire building.
South Yorkshire emergency services however, confirmed that nobody was hurt or injured by the fire that completely destroyed the residential building.
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 spokesman added.
Emergency services and residents of the building whose lives were saved by the swift action and self-less bravery of Mr Yousaf have hailed him as a hero.
Mr Ahmed, a former taxi driver who lost everything in the fire, said that Mr Yousaf had “saved” him.
“The fire was so aggressive and spread so quickly. I was dozing on the bed.”
A lucky Mr Ahmed said that he can still see “the boom, the banging, and the fire brigade.”
“On arrival crews discovered one residential property with a fully involved fire within its roof” said a South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue spokesman.
Although investigations are ongoing to ascertain the exact cause of the fire, it is “believed to have started accidentally” he added.
“We are aware of the brave actions of a passer-by who helped to 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.”
“I’m just really happy that people got out, that’s the most important thing”, said a humble Mr Yousaf.
“I did what any normal person would have done. But the fire brigade, they do this every day. They are the real heroes.”
A spokesman for Rotherham Council said that over a dozen families had been temporarily re-housed while it was working to help support the rest of the people who were affected by the devastating fire.
Conversations with local people in Rotherham have revealed that Mr Yousaf is a popular local businessman who is no stranger to acts of heroism. In 2009, he was celebrated by South Yorkshire Police after coming to the assistance of a police officer who was being attacked on the street.
