Manama: A quick-thinking Kuwait-based journalist saved a family after a fire broke out at their apartment in the Kuwaiti capital.
Samar Abu Shakir was jogging home when she saw flames coming from her neighbour’s apartment in the Salwa area of Kuwait City.
“I dashed into my own flat, grabbed the fire extinguisher and went into the neighbour’s flat,” she said. “I knew there were children there and I had to move quickly. Thank God, within minutes I was able to put out the fire before it harmed anyone,” she said, quoted by local daily Al Rai on Thursday. Firefighters arrived minutes after the fire was put out.
“We found out that they had their lost their way because they did not have the exact address,” she said. “However, they accepted our blame and were very polite.” The journalist-turned-firefighter said that the fire was caused by the children who were apparently playing with fireworks.
“I call upon concerned officials to reinvigorate the laws that regulate the use of fireworks and to apply a zero-tolerance policy to ensure no-one is hurt and that properties are protected,” she said. “Families should also be trained on safety tools and on the use of fire extinguishers,” she said. Samar attributed her act of bravery to the “accumulation of experiences in a profession loaded with trouble and problems.”
