Police officers save family of four trapped in flat blaze

Two police officers have been praised for saving a family who were trapped in a burning building.

PCs Martyn Carpenter and James Merson fought through black smoke and heat to save a family of four from a flat in Pretoria Road, Bordesley Green, Birmingham, at 9am on Saturday after being alerted to the blaze by a member of the public.

After putting out the fire, the two officers managed to rescue the family from a wooden rain ledge. Six people were taken to hospital to be checked over, West Midlands Police said.

Chief Inspector Baljeet Sidhu said: "This was incredible bravery, these officers put their own lives at risk to save others.

"Without a thought for their own safety they acted swiftly to get the family out of the flat to safety.

"We are very proud of Martyn and James. This highlights the lengths officers go to protect members of our community on a daily basis."