Neighbours have been thanked for their help to put out a kitchen fire before emergency crews rescued a woman inside.
Shane Williams and his friend Sally-Anne Watson spotted flames through the window of a neighbouring flat in Oswestry, Shropshire, on Tuesday night.
Mr Williams smashed through a window and began pouring buckets of water on to the blaze, passed to him by relay.
Firefighters then rescued the injured occupant who had been trapped in the premises.
"The woman, who sustained potentially serious injuries, was given immediate medical attention and transported to Royal Shrewsbury Hospital for further treatment," Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service said.
"The incredible teamwork between Shane, Sally-Anne, and [other] neighbours, alongside the prompt response of Oswestry fire crew, prevented what could have been a devastating tragedy," it added.
Ms Watson said she realised something was wrong when she heard a fire alarm that was not stopping, soon seeing "the whole window was just engulfed in flames".
She called for Mr Williams to help and said: "He jumped into action, grabbed his lump hammer [and] went straight over the fence. He smashed the window while I was ringing the fire brigade."
She described how she then formed a relay team with neighbours to get buckets of water to the window, saying the fire was out in about five minutes.
Mr Williams said: "Instinct just took over and I just put the window through."
He also admitted he felt an "initial fright of it all, because you don't really know what to do".
They said the fire service arrived about four minutes after the fire was extinguished and firefighters went straight inside to rescue the woman.
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