Boy, 6, dies but woman saved in house fire

as posted here



Six-year-old Zachary Ryan died in a fire at his Gosnells home yesterday morning but his grandmother survived after two men smashed through the front door and dragged her to safety.

Police arson squad investigators were unable to determine the cause of the blaze, which started in a bedroom at the Corfield Street house, but said it was not suspicious.

Firefighters made the grim discovery of the boy's body in a bedroom after being alerted to the fire by a man and his son, who stopped to help when they saw smoke while driving past about 8.45am.

Maddington fire station officer Keith Van Den Bergh said that the men's quick actions saved the woman's life.

"They didn't see anybody so they smashed a few windows and then they saw the grandmother lying at the front door," Mr Van Den Bergh said. "They've broken the front door down . . . (and) dragged the grandmother on to the front driveway."

One of the men then sprayed a hose into the bedroom to douse the flames.

When firefighters arrived they rushed in to save the trapped boy but he was dead when they found him.

"The heat in the room where we found him was quite intense and he wouldn't have had a chance," Mr Van Den Bergh said.

The boy's grandmother was taken to hospital suffering smoke inhalation and burns.

She had tried desperately to rescue her grandson but was forced back by the heat and smoke.

Last night she was in Royal Perth Hospital in a serious but stable condition.

The pair were the only people in the four-bedroom house when the fire started.

Police told the boy's mother the devastating news when she returned from taking her daughter to school.

Mr Van Den Bergh said the death was a tragedy but without the heroic efforts of the two men who stopped to help, it could have been worse. "It was a fantastic job that they've done," he said. "We could have had two casualties instead of one."

Zachary's uncle, Michael Cawse, told Seven News he was grateful to the men who had helped.

Mr Van Den Bergh said there had not been any smoke alarms fitted in the home.


as posted here