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| Neighbours tell of blaze rescue | Neighbours tell of blaze rescue |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A two-month-old baby boy is fighting for his life after neighbours carried out a frantic rescue following a fire which broke out at a house. | |
| The baby is in a critical condition and his one-year-old brother is stable in hospital after the fire at Penrhiwceiber near Mountain Ash. | |
| Neighbours Neal Jones and Billy Chinnook caught the boys after their mother dropped them from a window. | Neighbours Neal Jones and Billy Chinnook caught the boys after their mother dropped them from a window. |
| Their six-year-old sister is in a serious condition. | |
| The boys were first taken to Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil and then transferred to the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff. It is thought they are suffering from smoke inhalation. | The boys were first taken to Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil and then transferred to the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff. It is thought they are suffering from smoke inhalation. |
| Both were initially described as being in a critical condition but the older brother has improved and is now stable. | |
| The girl remains in a serious condition at Prince Charles. | The girl remains in a serious condition at Prince Charles. |
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| Neighbours describe their shock at the fire and their efforts to rescue the family | |
| The family of seven, five children and two adults, managed to get out of the home in Woodfield Terrace before fire crews arrived - but only thanks to the desperate efforts of their neighbours. | The family of seven, five children and two adults, managed to get out of the home in Woodfield Terrace before fire crews arrived - but only thanks to the desperate efforts of their neighbours. |
| As the fire broke out in the terraced home of the family, known locally as the Didlicks, the boys' father jumped from a bedroom window to raise the alarm. | |
| Neal Jones and Billy Chinnook were among the first to run to help. | Neal Jones and Billy Chinnook were among the first to run to help. |
| Mr Jones, who is a First Responder volunteer with the Welsh Ambulance Service, said they managed to get two of the children out through the downstairs window. | Mr Jones, who is a First Responder volunteer with the Welsh Ambulance Service, said they managed to get two of the children out through the downstairs window. |
| "Then Billy caught the one baby, well I say baby - he's about 12 or 14 months old - and I caught the second baby about two months old. | "Then Billy caught the one baby, well I say baby - he's about 12 or 14 months old - and I caught the second baby about two months old. |
| "I then put a ladder up to get the mother out." | "I then put a ladder up to get the mother out." |
| Mr Chinnook added: "The mother dropped the babies and we caught them on the pavement in our arms." | Mr Chinnook added: "The mother dropped the babies and we caught them on the pavement in our arms." |
| You just try your best, because at the end of the day life is precious Neighbour, Billy Chinnook | |
| Mr Jones said: "You just try your best, because at the end of the day life is precious. And I think that me, Billy and all the neighbours here have done the best they can do." | |
| While the men were helping get the family out of the house, women on the street looked after the children. | While the men were helping get the family out of the house, women on the street looked after the children. |
| Julie Chinnook said she was "petrified" and "crying" throughout the rescue. | Julie Chinnook said she was "petrified" and "crying" throughout the rescue. |
| "When the men were passing the children down I was just grabbing them and bringing them to the rest of the neighbours and we were just trying to do stuff with them. | "When the men were passing the children down I was just grabbing them and bringing them to the rest of the neighbours and we were just trying to do stuff with them. |
| "The one little boy wasn't breathing when I had him so we were just rubbing his back and trying to get him to breathe. Just trying to do our best with them. | "The one little boy wasn't breathing when I had him so we were just rubbing his back and trying to get him to breathe. Just trying to do our best with them. |
| "I was petrified, crying. Everybody feels the same. It was frightening. We're all so worried about the children." | "I was petrified, crying. Everybody feels the same. It was frightening. We're all so worried about the children." |
| Another neighbour Michael Phillips had fire extinguishers in his van, which were used to douse the flames. | Another neighbour Michael Phillips had fire extinguishers in his van, which were used to douse the flames. |
| I was petrified, crying. Everybody feels the same. It was frightening. We're all so worried about the children Julie Chinnook | |
| "It was absolutely frightening, it was really scary. I have never seen anything like it in my life," he said. | "It was absolutely frightening, it was really scary. I have never seen anything like it in my life," he said. |
| "It made my stomach turn a little bit. You don't expect things to go like that on your own front door. It's lucky I had the fire extinguishers in the van really because if they hadn't put the fire out it might have spread and who knows what could have happened? I think it's hit us all a little bit." | "It made my stomach turn a little bit. You don't expect things to go like that on your own front door. It's lucky I had the fire extinguishers in the van really because if they hadn't put the fire out it might have spread and who knows what could have happened? I think it's hit us all a little bit." |
| The neighbours are now collecting clothes and toys for the family. | The neighbours are now collecting clothes and toys for the family. |
| All five children were taken to the Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil for treatment for smoke inhalation. | All five children were taken to the Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil for treatment for smoke inhalation. |
| South Wales Fire and Rescue Service said the fire broke out in a house at around 0650 GMT on Wednesday. | South Wales Fire and Rescue Service said the fire broke out in a house at around 0650 GMT on Wednesday. |
| Jane Ward, the local Labour councillor in Penrhiwceiber, lives in the road where the blaze happened. | Jane Ward, the local Labour councillor in Penrhiwceiber, lives in the road where the blaze happened. |
| She said: "Woodfield Terrace is a long street with about 200 houses and it's hard to know everybody. | She said: "Woodfield Terrace is a long street with about 200 houses and it's hard to know everybody. |
| "But this part of the world tends to be close-knit and people will be affected by this even if they do not know them." | "But this part of the world tends to be close-knit and people will be affected by this even if they do not know them." |
| South Wales Police and the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service are investigating the cause but the fire is not believed to be suspicious. | South Wales Police and the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service are investigating the cause but the fire is not believed to be suspicious. |