Rabat – Salaheddine El Kharraz, a Moroccan man living in Italy, risked his life to rescue a 13-year-old boy Monday morning in the Italian province of Biella after his father set their house on fire and locked the boy and his mother inside.
According to local news outlet La Repubblica, El Kharraz’s roommate was the first to notice the fire after he saw the woman jump from the first floor to escape the house fire. El Kharraz said that he heard the woman screaming for help and saying that her son is still in the house. “I immediately went down to help her,” he said.
El Kharraz broke into the house and turned off the power before spotting the boy near the bathroom and carrying him to safety.
The 25-year-old man returned to the house to put down the fire thinking that nobody was still in the house, as he heard somebody upstairs screaming for help. It was 41-year-old Federico Oddi, the husband, trapped inside.
El Kharraz could not go up the stairs to help him due to the fire and smoke so he climbed up from the balcony to reach the man, who was unconscious and hardly breathing. The young man put a wet cloth on Oddi to protect him from the flames and carried his unconscious body to safety.
The fire department arrived shortly after to put out the fire that fully engulfed the house. Photos show that the house was severely damaged by fire and smoke.
The brave Moroccan young man was then taken to the hospital alongside the woman, who suffered minor injuries. El Kharraz was discharged later that day. “I have a little cough and headache,” he said.
The 36-year-old woman thanked El Kharraz for his bravery and for saving her son’s life. Both the woman and her son are in good condition, whereas the husband is currently in police custody at the CTO Hospital due to his injuries.
Investigations revealed that the 41-year-old husband was formally arrested for attempted murder and arson, as well as the mistreatment of his family. Investigations are currently underway to determine the motive behind the crime.
The Moroccan diaspora in Italy represents the European country’s third-largest foreign community, with a population of more than 487,000.
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