Honoured for pulling an elderly woman out of a burning building in 2019: Michael King to be awarded medal

Katanning’s Michael King didn’t think twice when he jumped to the rescue of a woman trapped inside a burning home in 2019. Mr King is one of 11 people to have received a bravery medal from the Governor General for his heroic actions that saved a grandmother from a house fire on Charles and Frederick Street in Katanning. When travelling to work on September 5, 2019, Mr King came across a house engulfed by flames and reacting on instinct he jumped in to assist. “There were a lot of people standing around and the house was pretty well alight by then,” he said. “I asked a girl out the front if there was anyone else inside and she said ‘yes, my grandmother’.” Mr King and another man entered the burning building in an attempt to find the elderly lady. “So we’re in the front room and you couldn’t see anything for all the smoke,” Mr King said. “The other guy said ‘I can’t find her, I’ve felt the entire room and I can’t find her’. “The ceiling started falling down then, so we said we better get out of this. “We went out to the front and tried calling the fire department to see how long they were going to be. “But no one sort of knew when they were coming and we couldn’t hear any sirens or anything.” A bystander said they thought the woman was in the kitchen, so Mr King and the other man made their way down the side of the house and noticed the kitchen window was quite high. Mr King climbed up on a bathtub, smashed the window and called out to the woman. “I could definitely hear her in the kitchen and it was starting to fill with smoke,” Mr King said. “I could see her wheelchair tipped over, so we jumped through the broken window. “We grabbed her and somehow managed to lift her up and through the broken window. “I cut her arms up while doing it because there was broken glass all over the window but I wasn’t worried about that. “I knew one of the guys at the front door was the local doctor. “He had a look at her arms and said it was fine, because he was there and so was an ambulance.” Mr King said he would have no hesitation in doing something similar again. “There was someone in there and she was in a fair bit of trouble, there was no way she was going to be able to escape by herself,” he said. “It’s sort of natural instinct and I think anyone else would as well if they were capable.” A local volunteer firefighter, Mr King said his training and background in building and demolition helped in the rescue. “I had knowledge to be able to assess the kitchen and know that I would still be able to get back out through the window if the ceiling collapsed or something happened,” he said. Despite his act of bravery, Mr King said the award nomination was completed unexpected when he got an email in November last year. The award is presented by the Governor General, the Honourable David Hurley. Mr King is one of 66 people to receive honours in the Australian Bravery Decorations but only 11 people are awarded a bravery medal. The Governor General presents the award on behalf of all Australians. “Each of the stories is striking and inspiring,” Governor General Hurley said. “In perilous situations the people we are celebrating chose to try and save others, often at great risk or cost to themselves. “On behalf of all Australians, I congratulate recipients and offer our thanks for their brave action. “I encourage recipients to wear their Australian Bravery Decoration with pride.”