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Woman drapes herself in tea towels, runs into burning house to save elderly neighbour

A South Australian woman bravely ran into a burning house to save her elderly neighbour after a tumble drier blew up starting a massive blaze.

Sandra Yates heard an explosion next door to her Port Wakefield house at about 9am Sunday.

“[It was] so big to blow the back doors of the building,” she said.

“[It] shook our house, shook the neighbour’s house.”

MS Yates said the explosion blew the backdoors off the building. Source: 7 News
MS Yates said the explosion blew the backdoors off the building. Source: 7 News

A tumble dryer had exploded in the house causing two family homes to burst into flames.

Ms Yate’s grandchildren and pregnant daughter-in-law ran to safety but she soon realised her cancer-stricken 84-year-old neighbour Phil was still trapped inside the inferno.

With both houses being ablaze she had to act quickly and resorted to covering herself in wet tea towels.

“I ran into my house and got a tea towel to cover my face,” she said.

Ms Yates (pictured) covered her face in a tea towel to rescue her neighbour. Source: 7 News
Ms Yates (pictured) covered her face in a tea towel to rescue her neighbour. Source: 7 News

“I was screaming out his name.”

Ms Yates found Phil and said she draped him over her shoulder carefully because he had suffered shocking burns to his head and body.

“You could see he was beat, just no energy left,” she said.

“I just knew I had to get him out.

“I did what anyone would do, it was just horrific.”

Phil was airlifted to hospital. Source: 7 News
Phil was airlifted to hospital. Source: 7 News

Phil was airlifted to hospital in a critical condition and will have to recover from severe burns on top of the already lengthy battle he’s had with lung and bone cancer.

The fire spread between the two houses quickly and all occupants lost everything.

Emily Artwik, who’s expecting a child, said she’s lost a lot of items she’d just bought for the baby.

“On Thursday I’ve having a baby,” she said.

The family parrot managed to survive the fire. Source: 7 News
The family parrot managed to survive the fire. Source: 7 News

“All brand new stuff that we just bought.”

Phil’s daughter said she put towels in the dryer at 9am before leaving for work and at 10am she received a call telling her the entire house was on fire.

Luckily, family’s pet parrot Julia managed to survive.