12 Apr 2013
A care worker has revealed that she did not think twice before putting her own life at risk to rescue a pensioner from a burning building.
Sandra Cowan, 40, saved Maureen Dorrian, 71, from the house in Newtownlands, Co Down.
Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service said the grandmother of three was just minutes from death when she was rescued from the building, which had become engulfed with black smoke.
She had to spend more than a month in hospital, with three days in intensive care, as she recovered from the effects of inhaling smoke.
The fire started accidentally in the kitchen of the property on Glenbrook Road, Newtownlands.
Although Mrs Dorrian had tried to escape the blaze, she was trapped by dense smoke and intense heat.
Ms Cowan, a community care worker with the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust, said: “I opened the front door and the smoke came out and just hit right up the face. The whole house was filled with smoke. I never hesitated at all.”
Copyright Press Association 2013