Hero firefighter gets award (From Warrington Guardian)

Hero firefighter gets award

A COURAGEOUS firefighter has been hailed a hero after rescuing an unconscious woman from her burning home.

Gallant Gary Raper, 34, was presented with the Chief Fire Officer's commendation for saving the Runcorn mum's life.

"With little regard for his own safety, he crawled through black acrid smoke into the blazing property and single handedly dragged the casualty to safety.

"It was a serious fire with the potential for loss of life and Gary's actions were commendable."

The young mum fell unconscious when a fierce blaze ripped through her home in Oxmoor Close, Brookvale, just before 1am on Saturday, November 19, last year.

Unassuming Gary, a Runcorn firefighter for seven years, said: "I don't feel like a hero, I only did what any of the lads would had done. We work as a close team and we're all happy that we were able to save this woman's life."