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Bare-chested Aussie fire hero hailed in parliament
Sydney (AFP) Feb 12, 2009 An Australian man who climbed bare-chested onto a hotel roof to help save children sheltering from wildfires raging all around was hailed in parliament as a hero Thursday. Armed only with a garden hose, tradesman Peter Thorneycroft, 43, fought flying embers hitting the roof as dozens of children huddled in the hotel's cool room and neighbouring houses went up in flames, the Daily Telegraph reported. "There in the papers today is the unforgettable picture of him standing calmly on the roof dressed in a pair of shorts and thongs (flip-flops), no shirt as the sky blazed orange around him," Prime Minister Kevin Rudd told parliament. "The houses opposite the pub had all exploded, the witnesses say, and if Peter hadn't done what he did the pub would have gone up too. "Peter says there's no one who's heroic, you just do it. "Peter Thorneycroft is an Australian hero, he is a genuine Australian hero," Rudd said. At least 181 people were killed in the wildfires that swept through the southeast state of Victoria last weekend, and thousands of firefighters are still battling around 30 fires. The area where Thorneycroft made his stand on the roof of the Kinglake National Park Hotel was one of the hardest hit. But just as no man is a hero to his valet, Thorneycroft's wife Jodie was cool in her assessment of her husband's efforts. She had left the area but kept in constant phone contact during the drama. "Everyone was in hysterics," she told The Daily Telegraph. "He just kept going, 'Everyone's dead, everyone's dead' and I just said, 'Shut up and do what you've got to do.'" Related Links Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters A world of storm and tempest When the Earth Quakes
Chinese TV employee among 12 held over fire: police
Beijing (AFP) Feb 12, 2009Beijing police said Thursday they had detained a senior staff member at China's state television station and 11 other people over a fireworks show that set part of its new headquarters ablaze. |
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