John Wayne described courage as ‘being scared to death, but saddling up anyway’, but when Ricky Bromfield rushed into a burning building to save his neighbour, he didn’t have time to be afraid.

‘I think adrenaline was a big part of it. I didn’t really stop and think what would happen in that scenario,’ he told 6PR’s Chris Ilsley.

‘When everything was over, I realised something could have gone very wrong.’

This week, Mr Bromfield was recognised for his actions and announced as a recipient of an Australian Bravery Award.

Mr Bromfield was at home with his young family on that fateful November night when they were woken by a loud noise.

‘Originally, me and my son thought maybe a bin truck had hit the wall,’ he said.

In reality, his upstairs neighbour had accidentally ignited a gas leak – the resulting explosion ripped through the Lockridge apartment complex.

Mr Bromfield heard a cry for help and kicked down a door to rush inside the smoke-filled room.

‘When I went to grab him, he let out a scream which made the jump a bit, but I picked him up under his armpits and started carrying him down the stairs,’ he said.

‘On the way out of the unit, I was patting him down so he wouldn’t be burning any more.

‘As soon as we walked out the front door, I felt this big gust of heat from behind. It was like the movies, a big firestorm happening inside.’

Listen to the full interview below:

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