Double decker bus driver saves naked man from burning building with vehicle

A bus driver has been hailed a hero after he parked his double decker bus below a third-floor flat that was on fire - so the man inside could jump out onto the its roof.

Driver Andy Waterman, 48, pulled up next to the burning building so the man could jump the 6ft from his window onto the bus' roof.

The man had been in the shower when a fire ripped through his flat in Braintree, Essex, and was naked when he made the life-saving leap.

Andy had just dropped off his last passengers in Braintree when a group of people in the street flagged him down.

Speaking to the Metro, he said: "I manoeuvred my bus alongside the building until I was just four of five feet away and the man realised what I was doing and waited to jump onto my roof.

"It was about six feet lower than the building but he managed it alright – the problem was that he had been in the shower and was naked."

Firefighters say that Andy's actions saved the man's life.

According to the Mirror, assistant divisional officer Dave Barritt said: "The man was trapped on the third floor and there was no way he could get out.

"If the bus hadn't been there I don't know how he would have escaped, the fall could easily have killed him.

"It's an unusual rescue, but it was extremely effective."

Essex Fire Service also tweeted about the incident.

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, a spokesman for Essex Fire and Rescue added: "Without the quick-thinking of Mr Waterman this incident could have had a very different outcome and the man who managed to get onto the roof could well have lost his life."

And Adrian Jones, a manager at First Essex bus company, praised Andy's actions, saying: "We are very proud of him - he was in the right place at the right time and knew what to do."

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