Arabic version: جزّار من كانبيرا يساعد جيرانه على الهرب من حريق منزل في دنلوب

According to ABC News, Canberra butcher Tom Freeman helped alert sleeping neighbours after discovering their Dunlop home’s garage was on fire early on Wednesday morning.

Freeman said he woke at about 5am, defrosted his car windscreen and returned inside before heading out again. He then noticed a rancid smell and decided to drive around the street before leaving for work. During that loop, he saw smoke and fire coming from a neighbour’s garage.

He urgently knocked on the front door and considered breaking a window, saying the occupants were asleep and unaware of the fire. Freeman said the house included a young girl and her cat, and that the front door was nearly red hot when he and others reached it.

Freeman evacuated immediate neighbours, called Triple Zero (000), and left for his workplace in Kippax after ACT emergency services arrived. No injuries have been reported. Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire, while Freeman said he hoped the affected family had not lost everything.