A NURSE who rushed into a burning building to save an 80 year old man has spoken out.

After a fire broke out on Victoria Road, Prestatyn in the early hours of Friday, July 10, five fire crews from Abergele, Holywell, Wrexham, Colwyn Bay and Rhyl were called to battle the blaze.

That didn’t deter Jayne Jones from entering the house before the fire service arrived to pull out her neighbour Roy, who fortunately had been woken by his fire alarm.

Jayne, who formerly worked at Glan Clwyd hospital and now operates Hear and Now Professional Ear Wax Removal, said: “I’d just woken up in the night anyway, and I heard a noise that sounded like glass shattering.

“My first though was that someone had tried to break in to Roy’s - then I looked out the window and saw flames about six or eight feet bursting out of the window.

“It was exactly 4.17am when I screamed at my boyfriend to call for help, and I grabbed my dressing gown and ran down the stairs in my slippers and towards the house.

“Roy had opened the door, before going back in - if he hadn’t have done that, I don’t believe I’d have been able to get in.”

Rhyl Journal:

The fire has destroyed the roof of Roy’s house. Picture: Steve Evans

Jayne found Roy in his lounge, disorientated by the fire - which had originated in his bedroom and spread to the roof space of the property - and had to lead him away from trying to battle the blaze with a bowl of water.

Jayne added: “Roy knew there was a fire, because the ceiling was burning and dropping flames onto the couch. He wanted me to help him but I had to firmly encourage him and pull him by his hands.”

“Looking back, I can’t believe how aggressive the fire was. At the time, I kind of went into autopilot - it wasn’t until Sunday that it hit me.

“I just want people to realise after this how important it is to make sure your smoke alarm is working.”

Tim Owen from North Wales Fire and Rescue Service, said: “This incident clearly highlights the importance of working smoke alarms - if the alarm had not alerted the gentleman, the consequences could have been fatal.”

The fire service arrived “really quickly” at about 4.30am, treating both Roy and Jayne at the scene for smoke inhalation. Neither required hospital treatment.

However, the fire “devastated” the property as well as much of Roy’s personal belongings - he was forced to leave his home only “with the clothes on his back”.

Following news of the fire reaching Facebook group Prestatyn Connect, the community has rallied around Roy, who is understood to be staying with his daughter.

About 12 hours after the fire, Rhyl-based community charity Belief had tracked him down and presented him with £250 for some essentials.

Steve Evans, of Belief, a volunteer from Meliden, said: “Getting an immediate cash donation to people who suffer horrific trauma such as this is a priority for all of us at Belief.

“Knowing this lovely man had lost everything we managed to get £250 to him a little over 12 hours after the fire, ensuring he could purchase some essentials.

“Hearing that he is a neighbour of a friend of my sister-in-law I contacted Jayne, only to find it was she, who selflessly and heroically dragged him from the burning house.”

“Jayne entered a burning house with total disregard for her own safety, focussed on one thing only, that to save her neighbour’s life, which she accomplished, a totally selfless and heroic act.”

Within two days, a crowdfunding campaign launched by Jessica Suckley, a childhood friend of Jayne’s daughter Sarah Jones, had raised £1,290 as The Journal went to press.

Miss Suckley, who works at Glan Clwyd Hospital, said: “I just couldn’t imagine myself in that position, leaving with only the clothes I was wearing and thinking of all the sentimental things that were lost.

“I didn’t want the situation to be forgotten about over night and it would be lovely if people could remember this and hopefully we could come together as a community for anyone if there was anything like this to happen again.

“I am more than happy to help, but it’s the donators who really should be shown the appreciation they deserve.”

In response to the overwhelming support, Roy’s daughter Holly Morgan issued a statement via town councillor Gareth Sandilands - who hailed Jessica and Steve for their community spirit - on the group.

She said: “We want to express our thanks and appreciation for everyone who has come together for Roy.

“Roy is healthy, which is what matters, but is devastated by what happened. He has always been an independent man and would never ask for anything, always wanting to work for himself so he is completely overwhelmed by all the kind people in his community who want to help him at this time.

“Luckily he did have insurance and hopefully it will all be ok in the long run but right now he is so grateful for people showing kindness and love towards him. He has lost all of his ‘things’ but has gained so much from all of the kind people reaching out to him at this moment.”

To donate, visit the ‘Raising money for Roy on Victoria Road’ page on gofundme.com.