A father earned the title of a local hero Monday as he returned to an apartment engulfed in flames to rescue his two children in western Turkey.
The incident took place in Edremit district of Balıkesir province, after a fire of unknown cause broke out at the Demirci family's residence on the third floor of a building.
Father Emrah Demirci initially helped his wife Reyhan Demirci and 14-year-old daughter Rabia Demirci leave the flat, returning to rescue his 2-year-old daughter Nesrin Demirci and 10-year-old son Emre Demirci.
Meanwhile, locals had alerted firefighters and police, who quickly arrived to the scene of the fire.
By that time, however, the flat was completed surrounded by flames, trapping Demirci and his two children and prompting them to flee to the balcony to call for help.
When the ladder of a fire engine malfunctioned, locals stepped in to help. One man drove his closed-box pickup truck near the building, while another climbed on top and rescued the children handed out by Demirci.
The father later managed to descend to the balcony of the downstairs apartment with the help of others.
All of the family members, who had inhaled smoke, were brought to a hospital for health checks. None had grave injuries.
The fire was completely extinguished after an hour.
