KEY POINTS:
Two Christchurch police officers have been praised for their bravery in crawling through a smoke-filled house to save a man's life.
Constables Maania Piahana and Nigel Barton were at a job in Dunarnon St, Avonside, early last Saturday when residents alerted them to a smoke alarm sounding at a house in the street.
"They immediately went to the address and found smoke billowing from the windows and around the eaves," Acting Sergeant Richard Ryan, of Christchurch central police, said today.
The pair tried to open the front and rear doors, but both were locked and there was no other entry point.
Mr Barton used his baton to smash a glass pane in the front door to unlock it, Mr Ryan said.
"By this time the house was full of thick smoke. They dropped to their knees and went in, searching the rooms and calling for anyone to reply," Mr Ryan said.
The constables heard a man's voice coming from the kitchen area and found a man standing near the window.
He resisted attempts to remove him from the house, but the constables dropped him to the floor and dragged him out onto the front lawn.
The man was uncooperative and the pair were unsure if anyone else was in the house, Mr Ryan said.
With firefighters still to arrive, the constables went back into the house, which was still filling with smoke, to check for other occupants. No one else was found.
"They exited the address coughing their lungs out," Mr Ryan said.
The constables' selfless actions meant the man was reached in time to prevent serious injury or death, he said.
It appeared the fire started when the man fell asleep while cooking.
Mr Ryan said the man was checked by ambulance staff and thanked the pair for saving him.
He is recommending Mr Piahana and Mr Barton for a police commendation for their bravery.
- CHRISTCHURCH STAR
