An Amazon delivery driver has been hailed a “hero” after he rushed into a house to rescue a man after the property “exploded”.
The blast in Beaumont Leys, Leicester, reportedly blew out the windows of the home and rocked nearby houses. Emergency services were called just after 4pm on Thursday, January 24.
Amazon driver Diogo Moreira, 24, said he heard a man “screaming” inside the property. He rushed over to the house and kicked the door in to get to the man, reports LeicestershireLive.
He then managed to lead the seriously injured man out of the ground-floor property and out onto the street. The man was then taken to hospital.
Diogo believes he may have suffered burns to his chest, stomach, arms and forehead. He said: “I had been sitting in my van about to make a delivery when the explosion happened. The windows were all blown out of the house – it was very loud.
“I went to help and there was a guy screaming from inside. The outer front door was hanging off its hinges but there was a second door that was still shut and there was a small fire inside the house as well.
“I kicked that door open and went and found the man sitting on his sofa. I asked him if it was just him in there, and he said it was.
“I dragged him out. He was clearly in shock. He seemed to be in his mid-30s or a bit older, and he had a lot of burns over his body.
“He was in pain and I could see burns to his belly, chest and arms, and also on his face, near to his hairline. I walked him out to the street and sat him down and someone brought him water.”
One Kelbrook Close resident, whogave her name as Stacey, said Diogo was a “hero”. She said: “The explosion had blown glass all over the road.
“The Amazon driver came out with the man and I could see there was smoke coming from his body. He couldn’t really stand up properly and he was moving very slowly.”
Leicestershire Police confirmed the man had sustained “serious injuries”. The force said in a statement about the incident: “Officers received a call at 4.07pm today (24 January) following a report of an explosion at a flat in Kelbrook Close.
“A man within the property has sustained serious injuries and is being taken to hospital. Kelbrook Close and a number of surrounding roads remain closed, and some nearby flats have been evacuated as a precaution.
“Colleagues from Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service are also at the scene while enquiries continue.”
