Kirton man given royal bravery award for rescuing woman from fatal house fire

Kenneth Wood, 56, has been named in the 2023 Civilian Gallantry List - the final set of bravery awards in the late monarch's name.

He has received the Queen’s Commendation for Bravery after saving a woman from a devastating fire in the early hours of New Year’s Day 2019, in which three people died.

Recounting the events of that fateful night, Mr Wood told the Standard it was around 2.30am when an explosion shook his house.

He was already awake and dressed, having still been working late on New Year’s Eve, so immediately rushed outside where a number of people were gathered in front of the burning building.

“I ran over to the crowd and then thought I saw someone standing in the doorway, so I tried to smash the door down,” he said.

“Then this young bloke came through the dust and rubbish to help and we ended up smashing a side window, and pulled her out,” he explained.

Mr Wood said the other man then took the woman to safety, while he carried on looking for others who may still be inside.

“I was told there were two others still in there, so I put another window through, but then the police arrived and the building was just gone.”

Mr Wood, who runs The Bakehouse restaurant in Boston, said he still speaks to the young woman he rescued more than three years ago.

“It’s very emotional, as she’s so thankful we got her out in time,” he said.

Mr Wood injured his shoulder during the rescue, but some negative affects of the experience have been much longer-lasting.

“I do have some nightmares where I wake up looking through a window into a black hole but no-one is there,” he said. “I have bits of my memory of what happened that are still not there, and I suffer from re-runs of that night.”

He added: “I didn't ask for any of this, I just reacted to what was happening at the time."

The second man involved in the rescue, Rafal Majchrzak, has also been given a commendation award for bravery, but declined to speak to the press.

A spokesperson for the Cabinet Office, said Mr Wood and Mr Majchrzak had been selected for the awards “for rescuing a woman from a fatal house fire on 1st January 2019”.

They went on: “On 1st January 2019 at around 2.56 hours a witness dialled 999 to request police assistance in relation to a domestic incident involving other residents,” they wrote. “The witness then informed the emergency services that the house, which had five occupants at the time, was on fire.

"It subsequently became apparent that three people had died as a result of the fire within the premises. Two residents escaped.

"Investigations confirmed that the fire was caused by a deliberate ignition of petrol which then caused an explosion in an upstairs bedroom.

“Kenneth Wood and Rafal Majchrzak approached the house and on seeing a woman inside, tried to kick down the door to rescue her. They managed to smash a glass panel adjacent to the door and were able to pull her from the house.”

Asked how it felt to be chosen for the award, Mr Wood said: “It didn’t feel real until we got to No.10 Downing Street and had a special reception. At the time, I wanted to keep a low profile about it at all, but I’ve come to realise it was a very good thing I did, and I should be proud of it.”

Mr Wood and his wife are now expected to attend Buckingham Palace for a garden party with King Charles III on May 9, just three days after the king’s coronation.

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