Viral video: Man hailed as 'Hero of Seville' for risking life to rescue two children from a house on fire
The man climbed up a building façade to help the family trapped in the house
A man, in the Spanish city of Seville, is being hailed a hero after he put his life in danger and climbed up a building to save two children from a fire. The video of the incident went viral on Twitter and Instagram last week.
According to local news reports, the fire broke out last Sunday, January 29, on the second floor of a residential building located in the La Macarena neighborhood, on Moguer Street, in Seville.
A family of four, with two children aged three and seven, was trapped in the house, said a report on elmundo.es, a Spanish news website.
A short clip filmed by an onlooker and posted on Twitter showed thick smoke coming through the windows of one of the rooms.
As people started gathering around the building, one of the neighbours, later identified as Jairo, swiftly climbed the building façade.
Putting his own life at risk, he carefully balanced himself and stretched his arms towards the window in a bid to reach the two children.
He managed to reach the two minors, with the help of their father, and move them to safety one by one.
As the fire started to get worse, the fire department arrived at the scene and rescued the parents.
The children's father jumped onto a mattress that the firefighters and neighbours had laid on the ground. He was later treated for smoke inhalation, said reports.
The mother managed to climb down a ladder that the neighbours brought to the window.
According to multiple local media reports, relief agencies said that the fire left a total of 15 people injured. Fortunately, there were no deaths reported.
The video was also shared by the Instagram page @goodnews_movement, calling Jairo the “Hero of Seville” in the caption.
Instagram user @gbby305 replied: “He is my favorite person in the world right now. Thank you, Jairo!”
“That guy just did the most legendary act of all time. Put himself in danger for others,” wrote @mannyp3na.
And, @x350zmom replied: “Thank you for caring about people! We need more people like you. A hero [with] bravery and courage!”