Man rescued from Girrawheen fire
UPDATE 8.45am: An elderly man is lucky to be alive after strangers pulled him from his burning Girrawheen house yesterday.
The man, believed to be aged in his 70s, remains in a critical but stable condition in the intensive care unit at Royal Perth Hospital.
He has burns to his airways and smoke inhalation.
The blaze gutted his Manolas Way home about 6pm, causing about $400,000 damage.
Firefighters were called to the house at 6.10pm following reports of thick smoke coming from the house.
The smoke caught the attention of friends Reece and Miguel at a nearby unit.
Reece, who is visiting from Kalgoorlie, ran to the front of the brick house but was unable to get in.
The pair jumped a side fence and found the man disoriented and refusing to leave his home.
"He didn't want to leave. He wanted to stay inside," Reece said.
The man was worried about his German shepherd.
"We had to wrestle the man to the fence," Reece said.
"Once we got him through the fence I went back in for his dog.
"I called him and he came up to me. I grabbed him by the back of the collar and took him through."
About 20 firefighters from Wangara, Duncraig, Malaga and Osborne Park attended the fire.
An investigation officer visited the home to try and determine what caused the fire.
