Neighbour comes to the rescue
Police have praised the heroic efforts of a neighbour who entered a burning house to rescue a man and his four-year-old son who were injured in a house explosion at Bertram on Tuesday afternoon.
A 32-year-old man and his son were rushed to hospital for treatment to burns after they were helped from the house by Louise Zabori, who lives next door to the Lilac Pass home.
Acting Det. Sen-Sgt Scott Johnson alleged the explosion was caused by an illegal drug laboratory, possibly operating from the master bedroom of the family home. Police also discovered an illegal drug lab in Singleton in May.
Peel detectives, organised crime officers and chemists spent Tuesday night and Wednesday at the Bertram house collecting evidence. Ms Zabori said she was in her kitchen when she heard a loud explosion about 3.30pm.
‘‘I went to my backyard and saw there were bits of glass and vertical blinds that had blown over the fence,’’ she said.
‘‘I called out ‘are you OK’, and he said ‘no’.
‘‘I quickly ran from my house to his and saw the smoke pouring out of the kitchen door, so ran in to find out how many people were in the house.’’
Ms Zabori said once she helped her neighbours out of the house, she kept the boy’s burns wet until ambulance officers arrived.
The man is under police guard at Royal Perth Hospital and has burns to his upper body and legs.
The boy has burns to his face, arms and legs and is in a stable condition at Princess Margaret Hospital.
Det. Sen-Sgt Johnson said detectives have been unable to speak to the man because of his injuries and no charges had been laid.
