AN HEROIC restaurateur said he acted purely on instinct when he rescued a man trapped in a burning building.

Arshad Khan, 45, who runs Southern Fried Chicken, in Manningham Lane, Bradford, with his family and brothers, said he didn’t think about any possible danger to himself.

Now he has been described as a “hero” by local firefighters, who said the trapped man would “probably have died” had it not been for the quick thinking of his rescuer.

The fire had broken out in a metal-clad lean-to building under some metal steps leading to three flats in Nesfield Street.

The blaze started at around 12.20pm yesterday.

The flats were above a fabrication shop.

Mr Khan said: “There were a few of us standing near the road to see what was happening when the fire first broke out and then after a few minutes someone said there was someone asleep in the end flat.

“I asked them of they were joking but they said, no, he’ll be in bed.

“I don’t know whether he works nights or not, just that he’s not been in the country long.

“I didn’t think; it was just instinct that there was someone who needed rescuing.

“I jumped on top of a metal platform that someone had been using to do some welding earlier and jumped over the railings.

“I bashed on the man’s window and shouted, I think they call him Rashid, but he wouldn’t wake up so I asked someone to throw a brick up to me and I smashed the bedroom window.

“His bed was just the other side of the window and even after smashing the glass he was still asleep so I yelled at him to get out of bed and get out of the building because it was on fire.

“The room was filled with thick black smoke, the sort you get from burning rubber or tyres and I think he must have breathed some in because he was all groggy.

“It was so bad it was making me cough.

“He eventually stood up and came out of his door and ran down the metal steps but he had panicked and not put any shoes on.

“He burnt the bottom of his feet because the fire was right under the steps.

“An ambulance took him to hospital and I’m told he’s going to be OK.

“He was really lucky because the smoke was really poisonous.”

Firefighters from Bradford and Odsal fire stations attended to tackle the blaze.

The cause is being investigated but is likely to be accidental, said Odsal Watch Commander Phil Warden.

He confirmed that the three flats above the fabrication shop were left smokelogged after the incident occurred.

Mr Warden praised Mr Khan for his brave actions that saved the life of the tenant.

Mr Warden said: “If it hadn’t been for the shopkeeper’s quick thinking and action,s the man in the flat would probably have died.”

He added: “He’s a bit of a hero.”