Students praised for fire rescue (From Richmond and Twickenham Times)

St Mary’s University College students praised for rescuing woman from blaze

6:50am Friday 8th April 2011 in News By Joseph Hibbs

Three students have been commended for bravery after they helped a woman trapped on the balcony of her flat by a fire to safety.

Housemates Elicia Wilson, Megan Harper and Ashleigh Mead-Herbert acted quickly when they noticed smoke coming from the windows of a house opposite their halls of residence in Waldegrave Park.

The St Mary’s University College first-year students comforted the woman and gave her tea and blankets while they waited for emergency crews to arrive.

Miss Mead-Herbert said: “None of us had actually been in a fire situation like that before and it was scary how fast it all happened.

“It was really nice to be able to help the lady, she was really shaken up by the fire.”

A Twickenham station fire crew were the first on the scene after the blaze broke out at about 8.30pm on March 3. It was under control by 9.30pm with the help of a further two crews from Kingston.

A spokesman for the London Fire Brigade said: “The damage was limited to the kitchen on the ground floor and the crews managed to save the rest of the flat.”

Michael Hayes, vice-principal of St Mary’s, said the college was very proud of their actions.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation but is not being treated as suspicious.