In case you missed it in Thursday's Gazette:

A FIRE victim was dragged to safety by heroic passers-by after his business yard was engulfed in flames and smoke.

Pallet firm owner John Palmer was caught up in the blaze as he tried to stop it spreading.

He believes the fire started when the forklift truck he was using suffered a fault.

The huge fire broke out at TPR on Gorse Lane industrial estate in Clacton.

John was still near the worst of the blaze, with thick smoke filling his lungs, when he was pulled to safety.

Shama Martin, 27, who runs Green Garden Care in Clacton, was driving back from a job in Walton with two employees when he saw the huge plume of smoke.

They raced towards the smoke and reached the scene before the emergency services arrived.

Shama said: “As we drove up the street towards the fire, we saw how bad it was.

“One of my employees, Ashley Morgan, jumped out of the truck and ran into the smoke and I shot in there after him.

“That’s when we saw the man. He was trying to run back towards the fire, so we went after him and grabbed him.

“He wanted to stay to try to stop the fire, but we had to drag him outside.”

The men called the fire service, before smashing the window of a nearby car and taking the handbrake off so they could roll it to safety as the flames spread.

Shama added: “We were worried the car was going to explode, so we rolled it out of the way.

“All around us things were crackling and banging. When the fire crews arrived, they gave me a first aid kit and I tried to help John.

“The first paramedics arrived a little while later and said we did a good job. I’m just happy we were there to help.

“It was just an instinctive reaction to get out and help him. The whole thing was scary, but you don’t stop to think about it.

“John thanked us and said if it wasn’t for us, he might not be alive.”