'He went full Rambo' - Bystanders rescued man from burning house in Worthing

One person and a dog were rescued after a house fire in Castle Road, Tarring, on Wednesday morning (April 16).

Graham Head and Tom Jimpson were among the first people at the scene – before fire crews arrived.

Gas engineer Graham, 41, was working nearby when he heard a man banging on the door from the inside of the property.

Meanwhile, Tom, 37, was driving when he spotted the huge amount of smoke. He got out of his car to assist at the scene and tried to batter the door with a road sign.

When that failed, Graham kicked the door down – allowing the man trapped inside the property to escape.

Tom, from Worthing, explained: “I was just driving back from dropping my daughter off at nursery. I couldn't drive through the smoke because it was so thick – you couldn't see anything.

“I pulled over to see what was happening, and a guy called Graham was there. He was working on the gas repairs around the corner. Instincts kicked in – we just ran over to the house. It was in flames and there was a guy banging on the door from the inside.

“The roof was on fire, the upstairs window was on fire, the gutter was hanging down. We had to try and get the door open, so we were just looking for something to smash the door down with, because it was really difficult to get close to the house because of the smoke.

"The smoke was crazy, it was so thick. We found a metal road sign and were just trying to smash the door down with that. We couldn't get the door open, and then Graham just went full Rambo – he just ran and booted the door down.”

Tom said he thought he might have to go into the property when he couldn’t see or hear the man inside.

“I was just shouting to him to kind of crawl along the floor, because you couldn't see in through the front door because it was just black,” he added.

"Then the guy just emerged from the house. He was badly burned – it was pretty harrowing.”

Graham, from Shoreham, recalled the incident from his perspective.

"I saw smoke coming out the window and there were two blokes saying ‘someone's in the house, they can't get out’,” he said.

"I sent my mate back in the van to get something [to try to knock the door down]. A guy tried throwing a road sign at the door but it wouldn't go so I ran up to the door and just booted it.

“I’ve been in other situations like that before. I just knew we had to get the bloke out.

“We had to be careful because all the top windows were blown through and bits were falling down.

“I just hope the bloke is alright as I know he's got some burns. I also want to praise the fire brigade as they turned up really quick.”

Tom and Graham continued to help, even after the arrival of firefighters.

Tom said: “We were trying to help the fire brigade put the fire out so it didn't burn down everyone else's houses.

“There was another guy there with us. I think his name might have been Tom as well. He left because he had to go to work.

“He's kind of the forgotten guy here because he got water for the guy and was checking to make sure he's okay. I don’t know who it was but he deserves a mention for sure.”

West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service praised the actions of the bystanders.

A spokesperson said: "The actions of the local workers are highly commendable.

"Incidents such as the one we’ve seen today in Castle Road highlight the importance of having working smoke alarms on every level of your home as they will alert you to a fire at the earliest opportunity, giving you time to safely escape and call 999."

Crews have since left the scene, the fire service confirmed.

An AA Traffic News report reads: “Partially blocked due to building fire on Castle Road both ways between Ringmer Road and St Andrews Road. Traffic is coping well.”

A fire service spokesperson said earlier on Wednesday: “At 9.04am we were alerted to a fire at a property in Castle Road, Tarring.

"At the height on the incident five fire engines and an aerial ladder platform were at the scene. However, our resources have now been scaled back.

"Firefighters are working hard to extinguish the fire which involves the first floor and roof space, and residents in the area are being urged to keep their doors and windows closed at this time.

"There is also a road closure in place at Castle Road.

"All people are accounted for and one casualty is in the care of crews from South East Coast Ambulance Service."

For more safety advice, please visit www.westsussex.gov.uk/fire-emergencies-and-crime/west-sussex-fire-and-rescue-service/home-fire-safety/