Gateshead boys save grandmother from house blaze after completing fire safety training
Two young boys from Gateshead have been credited with saving their grandmother’s life after a fire broke out at her house they battled smoke and fumes to get her safely out of the house.
Brothers Keinan, 9, and Evan Eccleston, 10, were asleep at their grandmother’s Beacon Lough house when the fire broke out on Wednesday (9th February). They awoke to find their room rapidly filling with smoke, and immediately thought of their grandmother Jacqueline’s safety.
After having recently undergone fire safety training at school, they knew to put blankets over their noses and mouths to stop them from breathing in the toxic smoke whilst they made their way to Jacqueline’s room. They woke her and led her from the burning house to safety, then called the emergency services.
Speaking after the incident, Evan said:
“If she had taken a few more breaths of smoke she could have still been in hospital now, and I love my nana and didn’t want that to happen.”
On arriving at the scene at around 3am, Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service identified the cause of the fire as an electrical fault and confirmed that the living room of the house was destroyed in the blaze. Firefighters also commended Evan and Keinan for their fire safety knowledge and bravery in saving their grandmother.