Man arrested after firefighter assaulted during rescue in Sheffield
South Yorkshire's Chief Fire Officer has released a statement
Last updated 31 minutes ago
A firefighter has been assaulted while attempting to rescue a member of the public after a fire inside a Sheffield apartment.
Fire crews were called to Queen Street at around 8pm last night (September 8), with the man allegedly attacking the officer as he was being led to safety.
The 62 year old is being questioned on suspicion of assaulting an emergency services worker and arson endangering life.
He is in hospital.
South Yorkshire Chief Fire Officer Chris Kirby, said: "Firefighters put themselves in harms way to protect others and I am extremely concerned that one of our colleagues has been assaulted in this way."
"Nobody should face violence or abuse for doing their job, particularly when they are responding to an emergency and working to keep people safe.
"We will support our firefighter and continue to work closely with South Yorkshire Police as they investigate this incident."
Assaulting an emergency worker was made a specific criminal offence in 2018 and can carry a maximum sentence of two years behind bars.