Hero binman saves two people and dog from house fire during morning rounds

A binman has been called a hero after he saved a man, a woman, and their dog from a big fire in their home while he was collecting bins.

Steve Whitehouse, who is 49 years old, was working with his friend Kevin Marriott when they saw the fire at a flat early in the morning on Tuesday. He jumped over a fence and climbed up to help a lady who was shouting because of the fire.

Steve, who works for Serco, helped the lady first. Then he climbed up again to save a man and his dog before the firefighters got there. Firefighters said Steve was 'very brave' and he stopped something bad from happening after the blaze in Tipton, West Mids.

Steve, who lives in Yew Tree, West Bromwich and has one child, said: "I saw a young woman screaming from the balcony and all I could think was that I needed to get to her as quickly as possible.

"The smoke was getting thicker. I called to anyone else who might be inside and could hear a young man shouting in distress for his dog.

"I managed to bundle up the dog in a blanket, jumped back down to the ground, and got the owner to throw the dog to me. I then went back up to help him."

After saving them, Steve knocked on other people's doors to tell them about the fire and the smoke coming from the house.

Kevin helped neighbours who had to leave their homes and after having a "coffee break," he and his friend carried on with their work.

Steve said: "I wanted to be sure that all our customers got their collections. But that's just me it will probably sink in later today what actually happened."

A big explosion happened at a house because an e-bike battery blew up while it was charging.

The bike was plugged in near the stairs, and when it exploded, it blocked the way out and shot flames like a giant