A Wiltshire woman has been recognised for her life-saving efforts to bring an elderly neighbour to safety following a house fire in Trowbridge.
Despite flames breaking through the resident’s roof, Bardha Kola heroically entered the home and rescued her neighbour – believed to be in her 90s.
The first floor of the property in Newtown was filling with smoke as the blaze took hold and the raging fire could be heard above her.
Risking her own life, Bardha continued upstairs and woke her neighbour before getting her into the stairlift and bringing her downstairs. She lifted her into her wheelchair and moved her from the building.
The size and ferocity of the fire were such that it could have broken through the ceiling at any time, without any warning. The heroic neighbour carried out all of these actions in the minutes before firefighters arrived.
Bardha was initially nominated for a Chief Fire Officer’s Commendation by Station Manager Richard Humphrey, a firefighter who attended the incident on 28 January 2020.
Chief Fire Officer of Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, Ben Ansell, then nominated her for further recognition from the Society for the Protection of Life from Fire (SPLF).
The SPLF awarded Bardha a bronze medal and Mr Ansell recently presented her with both at a presentation held at Trowbridge Fire Station.
“The Chief Fire Officer’s Commendation is the highest award I can offer to a member of the public for acts of outstanding bravery, selflessness or courage in the face of adversity”, Mr Ansell said.
He continued: “In exceptional cases, I will also make a nomination to other bodies for recognition, and I was extremely pleased that the Society for the Protection of Life from Fire has recognised Mrs Kola for her incredible bravery on that day.
“It was my honour to make the presentation of a bronze medal on their behalf.”
“Mrs Kola acted instinctively, selflessly and bravely, with complete disregard for her own safety.
“By putting her own life at risk, her actions that evening undoubtedly saved her neighbour’s life and, for me, it was one of the most exceptional rescues I have ever experienced from a member of the public.”
