A Rutherford man is lucky to be alive after firefighters came to his rescue in unusual circumstances.
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Santa was handing out lollies with the Telarah fire brigade on Saturday afternoon when a neighbour pointed out smoke coming from a nearby house about 2.30pm.
Children and parents looked on as firies broke down the front door of the Marlborough Street home and carried the unconscious man to safety, where he was given oxygen.
“We went over to investigate, set up the truck, and sent them in,” officer in charge Grant Morgan said.
Firefighters Joel Philip and Bill Rowles entered the house wearing breathing apparatus and encountered what they described as a considerable amount of smoke.
A fire was smouldering in the dining room and the man was found slumped in a children’s chair in the living room.
Having retrieved the man, Mr Morgan administered first aid and oxygen.
“He was in and out of consciousness until the ambos came and did their thing,” he said.
Onlookers filmed the scene which went from children screaming with joy to solemn concern.
The outcome might have been much worse.
Mr Morgan said help would normally have been more than 10 minutes away.
It might have been longer depending on how long it took someone to raise the alarm.
“He was very lucky we were out on the lolly run,” he said.
“Who knows what would have happened if we hadn't been.”
The man remained in stable condition at the John Hunter Hospital yesterday.
“It was a good result and everyone did their job.”
With the fire extinguished and the patient taken away to hospital the firies continued on the lolly run with Santa.