Man tries to rescue cat from burning flat
Man tries to enter burning flat to save cat
His flat was in flames but he refused to leave.
He even tried to brave the fire to go back in. All for Felix the cat.
"It's part of our family,"the 38-year-old air steward, who wanted to be known only as Mr Helfi, told Chinese daily Lianhe Wanbao.
According to the report, Mr Helfi had returned home from a flight on Monday.
Exhausted, he fell asleep. But he was awakened by the acrid smell of thick smoke.
He ran towards the source of the smoke - the kitchen - only to find it engulfed in flames.
He quickly checked the bedrooms and shouted for help.
Mr Helfi was reported to have said: "I did not know if my family was at home and I feared for their safety."
Neighbours living in Block 124, Teck Whye Lane, told The New Paper that Mr Helfi lives in a 5-room flatwith his parents and three siblings.
At around 7.30pm on Monday, they heard Mr Helfi's shouts for help and called the emergency services.
Mr Selvam Ramakrishnan, a 42-year-old service engineer who lives four units away from Mr Helfi's flat, said: "The smoke covered the entire corridor and it was very difficult for me to breathe."
Mr Helfi's frantic calls for help were heard by his neighbour, who called the police.
Mr Helfi was home alone with his cat when the fire broke out and he became frantic.
Neighbours told TNP that Mr Helfi was so worried, he tried to go back into the flat to save Felix.
But the smoke was too thick and he could not enter.
LOVE HIS CAT
"He must really love his cat for him to do such a dangerous thing," said Mr Ramakrishnan.
According to Lianhe Wanbao, Mr Helfi refused to leave the corridor. After much persuasion from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officers, he finally relented and waited at the void deck.
"He was crying very badly and he looked so pitiful," added Mr Ramakrishnan.
Once the cat was brought to safety, Mr Helfi hugged it and checked if it was hurt. He was also seen stroking and comforting Felix while weeping.
The cat was taken to a vet for a thorough check-up for fear that it had inhaled too much smoke.
When TNP visited the family yesterday, the cat was not around. The family had moved back to their five-room flat after a night's stay at the home of Mr Helfi's elder brother.
They declined to be interviewed.
Property officers from Chua Chu Kang Town Council visited the affected residents at 10.30am yesterday to assess the damage.
An SCDF spokesman said the fire was extinguished using one water jet. There were no injuries and investigations are ongoing.
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