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Maldon: Neighbour saves man in garden fire accident

Stuart Woodward/BBC Steph and BrianStuart Woodward/BBC
Brian Hawes was rescued by neighbour Steph Cox, who has been nominated for a BBC Essex Make a Difference Award

A riding instructor has told how she rescued her elderly neighbour after she found him on the floor surrounded by flames in his garden.

Brian Hawes, who is in his 80s, was using a heat gun to get rid of weeds at his home in Maldon, Essex, when a piece of paper caught fire by accident.

He fell over and the fire spread quickly.

He was rescued by neighbour Steph Cox, who has been nominated for a BBC Essex Make a Difference Award.

The fire, which happened in September 2021, left Mr Hawes with severe burns to his back.

He spent a number of weeks at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford.

Steph with a horse
Steph Cox said she initially assumed there were workers in the garden having a bonfire

Mrs Cox first realised something was amiss when she spotted a plume of smoke rising from Mr Hawes' garden.

"I just assumed there were workers in the garden having a bonfire, but there was something that made me still go over there. A sixth sense, maybe?" she said.

"All I saw was his shed on fire, a tree on fire, a fence on fire and Brian laying on the floor.

"I hooked my arms underneath his armpits and dragged him on his heels as far away as possible.

"I was rather shocked. I thought 'what can I do? Will I be strong enough to move him?'

"It all goes through your mind, but you haven't got time to think, you only have time to act.

"He had tried to pick up the paper on fire and then fell over and he couldn't get up by himself.

"Everything he was reaching up for to try and get a hold on was on fire."

Mr Hawes, who has Parkinson's Disease, suffered 15% burns to his back. He now lives in a care home.

Mrs Cox tended to him until an ambulance arrived.

"Brian is quite a character and even through his pain at the beginning he was quite with it and kept on apologising," she said.

"But as time went by, he was struggling more and more and started passing out."

The scene of the property after the fire
Mr Hawes said the fire started after he accidentally set a piece of paper on fire in his garden

Describing what happened, Mr Hawes said: "I was using a heat gun to get rid of weeds and a small piece of paper caught alight.

"I know that without Steph I would not be here."

  • Mrs Cox is one of the nominees in the BBC's Make a Difference Award in the Good Neighbour category. The winners will be announced at the BBC Essex Make a Difference Award Ceremony on Thursday, 8 September, which you can follow on BBC Essex on the night, online via BBC Sounds and on social media.
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