A NORTHSIDE father has been hailed as a local hero after he risked his life to put out a fire in a neighbour’s home for the second time in two years.
The quick thinking of Fran Duncan (35) saved the home of Patricia Mullally and her children in Whitechapel in Blanchardstown on the morning of December 12.
The fire broke out in Ms Mullally’s sitting room at approximately 10.30am while she and her two young children were in the house.
“If it wasn’t for Fran I don’t think we’d have a home to live in,
? Ms Mullally told Northside People.
“The man is a hero.
?
Ms Mullally’s six-year-old son, Jonathan, was first to smell the smoke from the fire, which originated close to the window of the sitting room.
“I’d nodded off to sleep upstairs with my youngest son Mathew when Jonathan came running into the room screaming
‘fire’,
‘fire’,
? said Ms Mullally.
“I grabbed the kids and bolted downstairs. The smoke was so thick, you could barely see in front of you.
“I panicked and just closed the door of the sitting room to try to contain the fire before I ran up to our neighbour Fran who lives two doors up.
“I didn’t know what to do but remembered that Fran had gone to the aid of another neighbour whose house went on fire two years ago.
“He grabbed his fire extinguisher and without hesitating he ran back up to my house to try to put out the fire before it got out of control.
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Ms Mullally said she would be forever indebted to Fran and revealed that the fire wasn’t the first time he’d come to the family’s rescue. Last year the local hero saved the family’s pet kitten when it became trapped underneath her floorboards.
And the father-of-five has also previously come to the aid of other locals. Two years ago, Fran, who always dreamt of becoming a firefighter, kicked in the door of another neighbour’s house to save him from a fire that had broken out in his kitchen.
“I saw the smoke coming from the house and knew that my neighbour was still inside so I kicked in the door to get to him,
? he explained.
“That seems to be my first instinct – to do whatever I can to help even, if it puts my own life at risk.
?
Fran’s dreams of becoming a fireman couldn’t be realised because he suffers from asthma but his quick-thinking and fearless attitude has made him the
‘go-to’ guy in his neighbourhood.
“Thankfully I bought a fire extinguisher for our own house only two weeks ago,
? he said.
“I never imagined it would be needed so soon. I’m going out now to get a replacement extinguisher and have learned just how important it is for everyone to have one in their home.
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