A delivery driver has been hailed a hero after saving the life of a one-legged lady in an Arbroath flat fire.
Brian Provan came to the rescue of disabled Kirsty Adam, 33, after spotting plumes of black smoke billowing out of a ground-floor flat window as he drove past on Arbroath’s Dishlandtown Street, near the town’s railway station.
The 43-year-old Parcelforce driver smashed the front window of the flat and kicked down the ground-floor property’s door in a bid to save stranded Kirsty, who is from North Yorkshire.
She was was staying with her friend, the flat owner Jacqueline Thompson.
The Good Samaritan said he “went into auto pilot” when he saw the smoke. He said it was only by chance that he saw the incident on his way to another delivery job.
“I was driving down the road and saw the smoke coming out the flat,” said Brian.“I just pulled in like a maddy and booted down the door.
“I saw Kirsty and realised she only had one leg but I managed to pull her out. I then went through the other flats to make sure everyone was out.”
Speaking to The Courier after the blaze, Kirsty thanked Brian for his actions and said: “He saved my life. I am totally grateful to that man.If it hadn’t been for him that whole block could have gone up.”
But Perth resident Brian brushed off the praise, saying: “Anyone else would do the same thing.”
It is understood an unextinguished cigarette in an ashtray sparked the fire after being emptied into the bin.
Brian added: “I went to the neighbour, who wassleeping, and got him out his bed and then went to the flat above. I could see all this fire and smoke so I battered the door and told them all to get out.”
Flat owner Jacqueline narrowly missed the blaze which ruined her home and said Brian “deserves a medal” for his actions.
However, she added she felt “sick” after watching her home go up in smoke.
“I had a TV that was only three weeks old, a new suite and a new carpet,” she said.“Kirsty had £1,200 of holiday money with her too for coming to see me, but she’s now penniless.”
Fire Scotland station manager for Angus West, Graeme Nicoll, said a “considerable amount of damage” had been done to the property.