WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT Shocking video footage captured the moment a man was on fire in a busy city centre before a hero Good Samaritan rushed to the scene to douse the flames and save his life
12:25, 16 Oct 2025Updated 12:26, 16 Oct 2025
Extraordinary footage shows the moment a have-a-go-hero used a fire extinguisher to save the life of a burning man in the middle of a busy city street. Harrowing video captured the man covered in flames staggering around a road in the Newtown area of Birmingham.
Several passers-by rush over to help, including the quick-thinking Good Samaritan who uses a fire extinguisher to quickly douse the flames, saving his life.
The disturbing footage shows how the extreme heat melted away most of victim’s clothes but incredibly he remains standing up at the end of the 40 second clip, which was filmed by someone from a residential building located on the corner of the two streets.
A second clip shows the man talking to police and fire crews who rushed to the scene following the incident, which is believed to have happened on Wednesday.
The man was on fire in a busy city street(Image: Birmz Is Grime / SWNS)
Footage obtained by Birmz Is Grime was shared widely on WhatsApp. A caption on the video read: “Newtown today. This world is horrible man.”
In the footage, a number of vehicles are parked in the road while the man is fully covered in the flames. Worried members of the public rush to the victim’s aid, with some pulling over their vehicles while driving past.
A have-a-go hero douses the man with a fire extinguisher(Image: Birmz Is Grime / SWNS)
One bystander, while standing around two metres away from the man, uses a fire extinguisher to put out the fire. A man in blue jeans and an orange jumper then approaches the man and appears to be asking if he is ok, while also calming him down.
With parts of his legs and upper half of his body showing due to his clothes being destroyed by the flames, the man is then seen speaking with a number of firefighters and police officers, who check on his condition and try to figure out what happened.
The man’s condition at this stage is unknown. West Midlands Police, West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service and West Midlands Ambulance Service have been contacted for comment.
The man’s clothes were burnt off his body(Image: Birmz Is Grime / SWNS)
It comes after a Metropolitan police officers were seen in viral footage frantically using fire extinguishers and covering a man with a jacket to put out the flames after a man set himself on fire in December last year.
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