Postman Charlie Bourne helps tackle fire in Sycamore Road

The identity of the Royal Mail postman had been a mystery after video of him tackling the nine-foot flames was posted on Twitter.

Now, postie Charlie Bourne has been identified as the have-a-go hero who sprinted down to the house in Sycamore Road in Tolladine to take the blaze.

Dressed in his uniform of blue shirt and shorts, he used a fire extinguisher to douse the fire.

Mr Bourne was working when he and a colleague spotted the fire and sprinted along the road to intervene.

READ MORE: Neighbours tell how hero postman put out fire in Tolladine

He said: “I was out on my usual route with my colleague Jodie when she spotted the fire as we were driving past. We stopped the van and immediately ran over to see if we could help.

“There was a bit of a crowd forming but I am not sure if they understood the severity of the situation and how badly the fire could have got.

“I asked if anyone had a hose or anything I could use to try and stop the spread, and at the same time, my colleague was knocking on a nearby ground-floor flat which had its windows wide open.

“She wanted to warn the occupants that the smoke could fill the property, and thankfully the person inside had a fire extinguisher.

“I was able to then use that to stop the spread of the fire as much as possible before the fire crews arrived, which thankfully was only a few minutes after,

“The fire crews as you can imagine were brilliant and got to work straight away. I was just glad we were able to help out.”

READ MORE: Worcester postman helps out out fire in Tolladine

Mr Bourne was called a “hero postman” in a tweet from the scene, but he remained humble and would not accept the title.

Hero Postman this morning fighting a fire during his round. Could we have some retweets to say a big thank you. Not all heroes wear capes @elonmusk #postoffice @worcesternews @HWFire #ServiceToHumanity @HWFireDroitwich @worcscc @Brom_Advertiser @Wychavon #community pic.twitter.com/xyGxZHHuHE

— Pete Bourne (@MrTweetab) July 1, 2023

He said: “I am not sure about any of that, I honestly think I was just doing what any other person would in that situation.

“The fence panels were well alight but if the hedgerow had caught and touched the edge of the roof it could have meant a lot more damage.

“As a postal worker, you see a lot on the job and it is honestly just another day at work.”