A HEROIC truck driver has described the moment he kicked down the door of a burning house and ran inside in a bid to save a family.

Adrian Reeve was driving past the house in Bridgewater Road, Walkden, on Thursday when he saw smoke billowing out of a bedroom window.

He immediately parked his truck and ran over to the house, before kicking down the front door and heading inside.

The 44-year-old, who hails from Atherton but now lives in Clifton, said: “As soon as I saw the smoke I pulled over and rang 999.

“Then I ran and knocked on the door, but there was no answer — a neighbour said she thought there was someone inside so I just kicked the door down and went in.

“I didn’t really stop to think, I was just thinking that I had to get in and help.”

It transpired that the occupier of the house, heavily pregnant Steph Brunsden had already managed to escape with her two-year-old son Freddie via the back door after she heard her smoke alarm going off following an electrical fault in the house.

Not knowing this, Mr Reeve went in and searched the property, he explained: “You could see all the smoke in the upstairs part of the house.

“I was looking around to see if anyone was there when I heard the neighbour shout that they had escaped, so I came outside.”

After checking that Mrs Brunsden and her child were ok, Mr Reeve got back in his truck and went back to work.

He said: “I would do the same thing again without hesitation, I wouldn’t have been able to just drive past.”

Mrs Brunsden has since been able to track down the heroic truck driver and send him a thank you card and gift.

She said: “He put his own life at risk to help someone he didn't even know. Luckily myself and Freddie was already out the house and went out the back door.”

“He is such a lovely and brave man for what he did, not many people would have done that.”

She added: “We are so grateful to him and to all the people who have been messaging us — I am quite overwhelmed.”

Mrs Brunsden said she and husband Andrew had lost some sentimental items in the blaze but are grateful to be safe and well.

She said: “I am 29 weeks pregnant so it is not great and I won’t be at home when I have my baby, but we are all together and that is the main thing.”

Mr Reeve said he thought he might get a ‘telling off’ from the fire service for putting himself in danger.

But Farnworth watch manager Carl Haslam said: “While we don’t advise people to enter burning buildings, Mr Reeve showed a lot of bravery.”

He added: “It is also important to point out that the occupant of the house was able to escape after being alerted by a working smoke alarm.”