UPDATE – Turkey: Man's heroic acts save Afghans’ lives from fire

ADDS FATHER’S REMARKS </p> <p>By Ekber Turkoglu</p> <p>TOKAT, Turkey (AA) – A newspaper distributor’s quick thinking and heroic actions after a fire broke out in a house of an Afghan family saved their life in Turkey’s Black Sea region on Wednesday.</p> <p>Remzi Ozyurt was distributing newspaper in northern Tokat province in the early morning when he noticed flames and smoke coming from a two-story wooden house.</p> <p>Ozyurt immediately called fire service and police and then woke the family up.</p> <p>The newspaper distributor later caught two children of the family — Mukaddese, 7, and Umit, 5, — after the father dropped them from the window of the burning house.</p> <p>Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Ozyurt described how the incident occurred.</p> <p>“I noticed that the fire would engulf the building. They [family] throw the children down one by one and I caught and took them to their neighbors living on the opposite side of the building,” he said.</p> <p>Firefighters then rescued Muhammed Norazi and his wife Merziye from the fire.</p> <p>The father said that they could not evacuate the house as the stairs inside burst into flames.</p> <p>“I threw my children out to Mr. Remzi. He saved their lives. There was nobody [around] at that time. God has sent him to us. </p> <p>“We will never forget his favor,” Norazi said, adding, “My children are alive thanks to him.”</p> <p>The fire was extinguished after a one-hour effort. </p> <p>The family was also taken to a nearby hospital for a health check-up.