HANKS CIARAN!. . . Royal Mail postman Ciaran O'Brien is thanked personally by Ben Kincaid outside Ben's fire-damaged Glenside Road home yesterday afternoon. The popular 'Postie' raised the alarm last Tuesday around noon when he noticed smoke billowing from the roof. Not only did he get the local resident out, he phoned the Fire Service and evacuated neighbours in the adjoining house. At front are the remains of the television, the suspected cause of the blaze. DER4914MC006 (Photo: Jim McCafferty)
A Derry man has thanked the postman who he says saved his life after alerting him to a major fire at his home.
Ben Kincaid was reunited with local Royal Mail delivery man Ciaran O’Brien for the first time yesterday since the dramatic events unfolded at his home last week.
Mr. Kincaid, a local taxi driver, had just finished a night shift last Tuesday and had returned to his Glenside Road home to get some sleep.
Having finished his driving shift at 6:30am, Ben was fast asleep in the house he had recently moved into at around 11am when a blaze broke out in the property’s living room. The flames were noticed by quick thiking postman Ciaran O’Brien who was on his rounds in the residential area near Northland Road at the time.
Ciaran immediately raised the alarm and banged on the door of the house, eventually waking Ben Kincaid up and allowing him to escape from the property which was subsequently engulfed in flames. He also alerted neighbours in the area.
It’s now believed the fire started because of a faulty television.
Speaking to the Journal yesterday, Mr. Kincaid said he had “absolutely no doubt” that Ciaran O’Brien’s actions had saved his life.
“If he hadn't been there, I wouldn't be here today. There was no way I would have woken up and it would have been too late. I’m just very grateful to him. The flames were up so high. I feel very, very lucky to be here today.”
Mr. O’Brien, who was continuing his deliveries in the area as normal yesterday remained modest about what he had done.
“Anyone in my position would have done the same thing. There was no real time to think about it at all. I just had to do what I thought was best,” he said.
Ben Kincaid’s mother Una has now made an appeal for people to turn off electrical equipment completely when items are not in use.
“The Fire Brigade arrived and said that the fire was accidental and due to a faulty TV. This message is also a warning to turn off all power to electrical equipment at night,” she added, saying that her family had narrowly avoided a tragedy.