Courageous Craig's a hero at Crownbourne Court

A sheltered housing officer has been hailed a hero after acting quickly to rescue a resident from a fire in her flat.

Craig Ryan was in his office at Crownbourne Court in Sutton when he was alerted to the fire via the scheme’s fire alarm system.

He quickly responded after noticing black smoke coming from the flat on St Nicholas Way. He entered to find the resident, dazed and disorientated in her bedroom.

Craig helped the resident into a wheelchair and led her to safety, whilst making a 999 call to the fire brigade.  He then alerted the neighbour next door and moved them to a safe place.

Within a short space of time, emergency services arrived and quickly assessed the situation, taking the decision to evacuate all the residents from their homes.

Craig then worked with firefighters to co-ordinate the evacuation of all 36 residents, many of whom are elderly and have mobility problems.

Speaking about the incident, he said:  “There were several carers visiting residents at the time, as well as staff from our contractor's, Lakehouse, who all helped to evacuate our residents.  Everyone remained calm and we got everyone moved downstairs into the communal lounge quickly and safely.”

After everyone was accounted for, and whilst the emergency services dealt with the fire, residents were reassured with tea and coffee.  They were then led safely back to their homes after the necessary safety checks had been carried out.

The flat suffered only smoke damage in Friday’s incident and the resident is currently being found temporary accommodation while repairs are carried out. The cause is under investigation.

Andrew Taylor, Chief Executive of Sutton Housing Partnership, who manage the sheltered housing scheme for Sutton Council, said, “Thanks to Craig’s fast response and knowledge, the appropriate action was taken to prevent a small fire from turning into a more serious one. The resident required only minor first aid at the scene and I would like to thank everyone who helped, especially the emergency services for their quick action.”

One missing Crownbourne Court resident, Sadie the cat, who had bolted during the fire was found safe and well the next day - much to the relief of the residents’.