Sheffield man praised after woman pulled from burning flat

Firefighters were called to the flat blaze on Morland Road at about 19:00 BST on Thursday

A glazier who ran into a burning building to rescue a woman trapped inside said he was just "going on instincts".

Sam Merrill, 32, had finished a gym session on Morland Road, Sheffield, at 19:00 BST on Thursday when he noticed smoke from a nearby block of flats.

He rushed in to the building and found the stricken woman in a first-floor flat.

Mr Merrill denied he was a hero, adding: "You don't do it for that."

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Sam Merrill said he did not think of himself as a hero

Firefighters were called to the blaze but Mr Merrill had already entered the building to carry out the rescue.

"By the time she'd got outside, she was on the verge of being dead. If it was another 30 seconds there'd have been no return," he said.

"There were flames around the door. Everyone was covered in smoke and it was spreading fast.

"It was just a case of making sure everyone is out and everyone is safe, that was the scenario for me," Mr Merrill added.

A cordon was in place while an investigation took place

The keen boxer said he did not think of himself as a hero.

He added: "You don't do it for that status, you just do it because you don't want someone to die. Just the fact the woman's all right is better for me."

An investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing, the South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service has been contacted about the woman's condition.