Firefighter drags burning gas cylinder

A firefighter risked his life to drag a burning liquefied gas cylinder from a house, avoiding an explosion, in east China’s Shandong Province.

It was an ordinary Sunday in Shandong Province’s Zibo City when a high pitched sound shattered the quietness of the night.

As two fire-fighting trucks swooshed by, siren screaming, 14 fully-geared firefighters could feel their hands sweating and hearts pounding. They had received a distress call not long after 20:30, reporting a fire in a community.

By the time they reached the site, flames were shotting out from a kitchen window on the second floor. With no time to spare, firefighters dragged out the fire hose swiftly and aimed at the roaring fire.

Five minutes later, as everything was seemingly under control, troubles were not over. A liquid gas cylinder in the kitchen caught fire, becoming a time bomb that was tickling.

Just then, not willing to shy away from his duty, the leader of the fire-fighting team Dong Yuanzhe gritted his teeth and stepped up. Under the cover of the water hose, Dong raced into the kitchen, dragged the cylinder out and handed it over to his teammates waiting downstairs.

The fire soon died out, but the firefighters kept the water going for a little while to prevent the fire from rekindling.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.