Father braves flames

Press, 25 February 1980, Page 6

Father braves flames

PA Auckland A Titirangi man leapt through the window of a room “full of flames" yesterday to rescue his two-year-old child who was crying helplessly in a corner as the fire licked at him. “I was in the nick of time,” said Mr A. R. Cotter after he plucked his son Reuben from his blazing bedroom. “Another couple of minutes and he would have been really badly burned.”

As it was, the child suffered minor burns to his head, face and shoulders. He was taken to Auckland Hospital, where he is ex-

pected to stay about two days. His father also suffered minor burns to the head. Mr Cotter first became aware of the fire, which broke out about 10.30 a.m., when he was outside in his workshop. “I heard Reuben crying but I did not take any notice at first because kids are always crying. But he kept it up and I went along to his bedroom window. “I looked in and saw the whole room full of flames. He was in the corner crying. I lifted up the window and leapt in,” Mr Cotter said.

“It was very hot in there

but I didn’t think of the flames or the danger. I just wanted to get Reuben out. Any father would have done the same.” Having successfully got his son out of the room Mr Cotter turned the garden hose on the fire while his wife rang the fire brigade. Appliances from Titirangi and Laingholm soon had the flames doused and the damage restricted to the one room. Mr Cotter thinks the fire started when his son was playing with matches in the bedroom. He said, “He is fond of playing with them and we have had trouble before.”