'I didn't think, I just went up': Wolverhampton firefighter on dramatic fifth-floor rescue as boy, 5, dangled by his EAR

A firefighter from the Black Country has been praised for his 'heroic' actions after saving a five-year-old boy who was dangling from a fifth-floor flat by his ear .

Lyndon Flavell, aged 42 from Penn, Wolverhampton, is crew commander at Erdington Fire Station and was sent to help rescue the boy who was dangling out of the window of Glendale Tower, Beechmount Drive, Erdington, at 4pm on Thursday.

The boy's body was completely out of the window, with only the 'boney bit' behind his ears being trapped in the window frame, preventing him from falling.

Crew commander Flavell helped to set up the tallest ladder available to the crew on the day, having to pitch it as close to the building as possible to make it as high as it could be.

Crews had to ask members of the public to secure the ladder by holding it at the bottom while commander Flavell made the perilous journey up the rungs.

As the ladder was still too short to reach the dangling child, commander Flavell had to balance on the top rung of the ladder to push the child back in through the window and into safety.

Speaking of the rescue, commander Flavell said: "I think we all wanted to do our very best for the boy not just because it's our job but because many of the crew have young children and families.

"I have a daughter who is six, so that was in the back of my mind, like what would I do if she was in a similar situation.

"We set up the ladder as close as we could to the wall after our first pitch wasn't quite right, so I was at the bottom of the ladder when it was set up. I didn't think about it, I just went up there.

"Initially, I tried to pull the boy out of the window, but then he started screaming.

"So, because the parents on the other side of the window were in the flat and were panicking, I decided to grab the boy and push him back through the window instead.

"It didn't really hit me as anything out the ordinary until one of the women on the ground needed oxygen. But even then, you just sort that out and carry on.

"The crew worked really hard on the day, like they do all day every day, it was just that this was a slightly more unusual job than normal."

Wayne Little, station commander, said: "Crew commander Flavell went beyond the call of duty to rescue the boy.

"He climbed the ladder to its absolute limits, without a care for his own life.

"It was an extremely challenging rescue.

"One member of the public who had helped secure the ladder required oxygen therapy afterwards due to the trauma of watching what happened.

"The heroism and bravery of our firefighters should be commended."

The boy was treated by paramedics and taken to hospital where he was kept in overnight.

The family was later rehoused.