Hero binman from Colchester says saving a woman from her flat fire was a team effort

Colchester Council waste collector Chris Payne was the only person outside of Lucy Fyfield’s flat when she realised her home was on fire.

Eventually, with the help of other passers-by, including a resident, they got her out of the first floor flat by stacking wheelie bins, which has gained him the title of Lucy’s hero.

Chris said: “It’s very sweet of her. Fair enough I was the first on the scene, but getting her out of the flat was a team effort so I can’t take the credit for that.

“I don’t consider myself a hero. I did what anyone else would have done in those circumstances.

“The fire commander told me if it had happened at night when no-one was around, she would have died.”

Lucy Fyfield escaped a fire in her first floor flat

When Chris, 36, saw smoke billowing from Lucy’s bedroom window in Axial Drive, he rushed to his truck and called 999.

For the moments that followed he was a go-between for the operator, relaying questions from them to Lucy.

He said: “I asked her if she knows where the fire is, if she can close the door or get down on the floor.

“Meanwhile, Lucy was getting more scared and upset and couldn’t do anything. At that point a lady showed up first and we rushed to the flat doors, buzzed all the buzzers to get into the building but nobody answered.

“I asked the operator whether I should go in and was told under no circumstances am I to break in.”

Axial Drive, Colchester, where Chris Payne was on his rounds

Terrified, Lucy refused to jump so one of the two ladies suggested piling the two wheelie bins on top of each other. Once the three fire engines arrived, Lucy was already out of the flat.

Two firefighters entered and extinguished the fire within ten minutes.

She was treated with oxygen and had an electrocardiogram before being driven to Colchester General Hospital.

Dad-of-one Chris said: “I gave her a cuddle and tried to calm her down.

“After Lucy shared her post on Facebook about what had happened, a friend of mine told her who I was and then I received a message.

“The last time I’d seen her, she was covered in soot, coughing and spluttering, so absolutely, it was nice to know she was alright.”

Dad Chris Payne refuses to call himself a hero

Waste boss at Colchester Council, Jessica Scott-Boutell, praised the council worker.

She said: "We are incredibly proud of Chris’ actions and would like to publicly thank him for helping to rescue this resident from the fire.

"Our staff have active roles in our communities and often go above and beyond their duties when carrying out their jobs, and this is a fantastic example of that."