Yesterday Gisborne Police put out a public call to find a hero who rescued an 89-year-old from a house fire.
Today, 37-year-old Gisborne born and bred construction worker Tim Morris walked through the front doors of the Police station.
Police were first made aware of the fire on Aberdeen Road at approximately 1am on Saturday.
Tim was driving past with a friend, saw the blaze and pulled over. He and a supportive friend were able to pull the 89-year-old through a broken window to safety as they battled against the smoke. He also checked to see if anyone else was in the property and went to neighbours for help.
Once emergency services arrived, he and his friend quietly slipped into the night.
But it wasn’t until Sunday morning, when his friend pointed out Police’s appeal for the hero to come forward, that the reality of what he did finally sunk in.
“I just wanted to get him out,” he says.
“It’s been a bit emotional. At the end of the day, helping people makes me feel good.”
Detective Senior Sergeant John Love says Tim didn’t want to make a fuss when he arrived at the Gisborne Police station on Sunday morning.
“I think that tells you quite a lot about the person who walked through our doors today,” Detective Senior Sergeant Love says.
“However, thanks to his quick actions, the house occupant was able to escape a life-threatening situation.
“We put out an appeal because we wanted to find him, not because he was in any trouble. We wanted the opportunity to shake his hand and say ‘thank you’. We got that opportunity today.
“He might not consider himself a hero, but his actions made a very real difference to another person on what must have been an incredibly frightening day.”
In other positive news, the 89-year-old Tim rescued is recuperating well in hospital.
