High-rises come under fire after fortuitous rescue

Editor's note: The quick thinking of a 19-year-old bucket truck driver in Fushun, Liaoning province, saved the lives of 14 people who would otherwise have been unable to escape an apartment building that was engulfed by flames on May 2. China Daily reporter Li Yang comments:

The fire started in a grocery store on the ground floor of a six-floor apartment building at 6 am. Lan, who happened to be driving by, saw what was happening and used his crane-mounted basket to rescue people trapped on the upper floors.

All the 14 people regard Lan as their savior, saying that were it not for his timely appearance, they would have had to jump, as the corridors were already filled with choking smoke and the fire was quickly climbing upward when they woke up.