A teenager has been hailed as a hero after running into a burning house to rescue an elderly woman who fell unconscious while trying to escape.

Marcus Evans, 19, was walking home from a shop in the village of Baglan, next to Port Talbot, Wales on Thursday afternoon when ne noticed smoke billowing from a house on Church Road

A PCSO was first on the scene and kicked down a door into the house after calling fire services, but found the smoke too thick to enter.

The 79-year-old resident of the house had been unable to make it out as the blaze spread.

Marcus said: ‘I thought it would take a few minutes for help to arrive so I decided to try and get in because I could hear the woman coughing inside.

‘The first time, I couldn’t manage it – the smoke was too much. So I had to come back out and have a breather. I then went back in to get her.

‘She was lying by the back door and by this point she was unconscious, but thankfully I was able to bring her out.’

The woman suffered injuries in the fire and was rushed to hospital, where she remains in a stable condition.

Tributes to Marcus’ heroic efforts poured in from locals on social media.

Team Ruby, a Port Talbot charity which raises money for local causes, has presented him with a cash reward.

The charity said ‘the courage and bravery shown from such a young man is inspirational to us all.’

Marcus, whose mum died of cancer in 2019, said: ‘I couldn’t save my own mother so I wanted to save somebody else’s.

‘I was just focusing on getting her out of the house and I just wanted
to do what I could. Everyone has been very supportive since it happened.’

Team Ruby added: ‘Well done Marcus. We are all so proud of you.’

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