Girl meets fire hero 12 years on

A teenager rescued from a house fire 12 years ago accidentally met the hero who saved her while she was on work experience at her local fire station.

Emma Brockway, from Salford, Greater Manchester, was just five years old when she and her mother and sister were rescued from a bedroom at their house.

Now 17, she was at Eccles Fire Station on a placement when a fireman asked her why she was interested in the service.

She told Tony Smith about the hero who saved her and he realised it was him.

Surprise reunion

Emma explained how a fire had broken out in her home in 1996, and how two firefighters had rescued her family from the upstairs bedroom of the house in Catherine Street, Winton.

Mr Smith, a fire safety officer, immediately recognised the story which involved him and a colleague Paul Fennel and said: "I was the man who saved you."

"It's very unusual to meet the people we help so long after the event. "
Tony Smith, fire safety officer

Speaking about the surprise reunion, he added: "I always wondered what happened to Emma and her family.

"I was shocked, but it was a good feeling to actually speak to her. It's very unusual to meet the people we help so long after the event.

"The fire started in the kitchen and was well alight when we got there. It started burning through into the bedroom above, and the house was full of smoke.

"Firefighters always work as a team, but I was the one who went into the bedroom and carried Emma out. They wouldn't have lasted long in there."

'Amazing coincidence'

Emma, who was on a placement at the station as part of a BTEC in PE and business studies at Salford City Academy, said: "I have never known the identity of the firefighter who saved me.

"To come face-to-face with him after all these years was an amazing coincidence.

"I don't remember much about the fire, but he was telling me how quickly the fire spread and how frightened I was.

"Meeting Tony has made me think more about how brave people like him are - and I hope that I can eventually do something that helps other people."

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Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service
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