Moment two men hanging on ledge from burning tower block are rescued

This is the moment two men hanging from a window ledge on a burning tower block were rescued by emergency crews.

The fire at Twinnell House in Bristol had already claimed the life of one man, Abdul Jabar Oryakhel, who fell to his death while trying to escape the blaze last September.

The two other men who managed to stay clung on to the 16th floor ledge of the council building were pulled to safety thanks to the quick actions of PC Justin Robbie and his colleagues.

Bodycam footage showed the officer smashing the block's corridor windows with his truncheon to get to the men after hearing shouts for help.

A firefighter then kicked in the window frame to make space for the men to climb through and escape the fire.

After helping them through, PC Robbie called for an ambulance for one of the men who was injured during the incident.

The police officer was subsequently nominated for a National Police Bravery Award for his actions in the early hours of 25 September 2022.

PC Justin Robbie, said: “It is an honour to be recognised with this nomination but, like all officers, we don't do it for the awards.

"I acted on my training and my automatic response kicked in.

"When everyone is running away from the danger, we run towards it.

“Sadly, one person had already died and all I could think about was 'I need to get in there and make sure no-one else is hurt'

"I didn't think about my own safety, I just acted and luckily I was able to get to those two men and get them out safely."

Chief constable Sarah Crew added: “While someone very sadly lost their life in the fire, had PC Robbie not shown such courage and selflessness the tragedy could have been even worse."

PC Robbie did not win the bravery award in London this week but he did attend a reception at Downing Street.