CONNOR Newman is just 15 but he knows exactly what to do in an emergency.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
“You just jump in and deal with it,” the Wodonga Senior Secondary College student said.
Connor had just got off the bus on his way home from school on Tuesday when he saw thick plumes of black smoke coming from a house fire in Fade Court, Wodonga.
When he ran to the home he saw home owner Jeff King lying on the ground at the front of the property.
Along with another good Samaritan, Connor — a St John Ambulance volunteer — dragged Mr King to safety.
The fire was one of three house blazes within the space of a few hours. Full report below.
POLICE want to speak to two men who were seen near a Wodonga home moments before a fire broke out and destroyed it.
The intense blaze, that started at the Fade Court house about 4pm on Tuesday, gutted the house and damaged a black Jeep parked in the driveway.
The owner, Jeff King, had to be helped to flee the flames.
Connor Newman, 15, who saw the fire as he got off a bus nearby, ran to the front of the home and lifted Mr King to safety with the help of another man.
“He was just lying on the ground,” the Wodonga Senior Secondary College student and St John Ambulance volunteer said yesterday.
Connor, who did not know Mr King said “I was just worried about keeping him safe”.
“I want to be a paramedic when I’m older.
“Being part of St John, you learn to deal with emergency situations.
“If there’s an emergency situation or someone is in trouble, you just jump in and deal with it.”
Other house fires:
- Syringes found in wreckage of house fire| Higgins Street, Wangaratta
- Woman loses everything a month after buying new home | Wood Street, Albury
Fire investigators, who examined the ruins yesterday, are treating the fire as suspicious.
Detective Leading Senior Constable Andrew Leonard said two men seen near the house may not have had anything to do with the blaze.
But police are “very keen” to speak to the pair to determine whether they were involved.
“We’re trying to establish who those men are and find out why they were there,” Senior Constable Leonard said.
“They may well be just concerned members of the public whose attention was drawn to the house.
“Or they may have had something to do with it.
“We need to explore those options.”
Mr King, who lives at the house with his wife, had returned home from walking his dog to find his house on fire.
It’s unclear whether the men had been in the house.
They left the area soon after the fire broke out and before emergency services arrived.
Other factors also suggest it was deliberately lit.
Police are now awaiting results of tests conducted by arson chemists to determine the cause.
Senior Constable Leonard said Mr King and his wife were “obviously deeply upset”.
“They’ve lost one — maybe a couple of their animals — in the fire,” he said.
“It’s quite distressing for him and his wife.”
Anyone with information can call police on (02) 6049 2600 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.