A QUICK-THINKING Irishman has been hailed as hero after rescuing a woman who had become stranded in a burning building in Australia.
Monaghan plumber Oisin Loughlin teamed up with workmate Jack Kelly to pull off the daring rescue.
It all started when the pair were on driving on their way to work, early one morning in South Perth.
Noticing smoke billowing from an apartment complex, the two men stopped their car to take a closer look.
It was then that they heard a woman screaming from her balcony, trapped there while the fire raged in the building.
Leaping to action, Oisin and Jack used their tradesman’s ladder to help her escape the first.
It proved a challenging task, with the acrid black smoke pouring from the apartment making it difficult to get the woman onto the ladder.
A gas explosion inside the building also added to the treacherous conditions as Oisin climbed the ladder to rescue.
Even after the brave rescue, Oisin, Jack and another tradesman then worked tirelessly to try and isolate the gas supply in order to stop the fire spreading further.
The woman was later identified as Leanne Winters while the blaze was reportedly the result of a suspected arson attack.
An arrest has already been made.
Speaking to the Irish Mirror, Oisin detailed the brave rescue which saw him risk life and limb to ensure the woman escape the fire safely.
"It was crazy, within seconds I could see the flames shooting out the window,” he told the newspaper.
"I pulled in and then heard a woman screaming from the balcony.
"I grabbed the ladder and just ran."
"I was trying to get her on the ladder but then the flames started shooting out of the patio behind her,” he added.
"It was panic stations to be honest. You don't have time to think.”
The fire brigade soon arrived on the scene, with Jack and Oisin making a swift exit after realising they were late for work.
Thankfully Leanne ensured their brave efforts did not go unnoticed with the pair rightly hailed as heroes for their efforts.
Originally from Monaghan Town, Oisin has been living and working in Perth for more than seven years, along with his wife Catherine O’Brien.
