Young Saudi’s supreme sacrifice ends in sorrow

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  Saudi Gazette - 1

A young man has set a great example of sacrifice here when he stormed a burning room and risked his life to save his parents, who were trapped inside by a ring of fire and smoke, Al-Sharq daily reported.

Turki Al-Duwaikh, 25, who remains in critical condition at the hospital after suffering burns to 80 percent of his body during his daring rescue attempt, was on the second floor of his home when a short circuit sparked a fire on the first floor where his parents were sitting.

Seeing heavy smoke billowing from the first floor, he ran downstairs to find the fire had engulfed the entire floor.

He then, unhesitatingly, stormed into the room where his parents were and attempted to save them. His parents later died from their wounds a few days after the incident, while Turki was rushed to King Khalid Hospital here.

Later, he was airlifted to the National Guard Hospital's Intensive Care Unit in Riyadh for better treatment and he is still in critical condition.

Sultan, Turki's brother, said Turki's condition is still critical because of the burns that cover his body.

"My brother threw himself into the burning flames to pull my parents out and rescue them. By the time we helped him and our parents, they had already sustained severe burns, especially Turki," Sultan said.

"We're proud of Turki's sacrifice and so are all the residents of Hafr Al-Batin. He's our hero. I hope everyone prays for him and wishes him a speedy recovery," Sultan said.

Turki's father was one of the notable figures in the governorate and he was known for his hard work and honesty. Turki was the only family member other than his parents who was injured severely while others sustained minor injuries.

On his Twitter account and under his name, Turki wrote the phrase "Close to my parents".