- An 18-year-old Chinese student rescued an elderly couple from a fire while in his briefs
- The fire started when an electric wheelchair battery exploded in the couple's flat
- Zhu Ye led the couple to safety and used water to help extinguish the fire
An 18-year-old Chinese student has become a local hero after rescuing an elderly couple from a fire while wearing only his briefs. Zhu Ye, a senior pupil at Tongliang No. 2 Secondary School in Chongqing, rushed to his neighbour's burning flat on the evening of October 16 without taking the time to put on clothes, reported South China Morning Post.
Inside the flat, Zhu found an elderly couple in danger. The fire engulfed when the battery of the man's electric wheelchair exploded. The elderly woman, also surnamed Zhu, had not even realized that her legs had caught fire.
Zhu calmly led the couple to safety, unplugged the wheelchair's battery, and brought buckets of water from his home to extinguish the fire. He then called the complex's security guards, who helped clean the couple's flat.
The couple initially concealed the incident from their daughter, fearing she would become anxious. The next day, the security guards informed her. The woman, surnamed Jiang, was upset that she wasn't with her parents at the time of the incident, but expressed deep gratitude to Zhu for saving her parents.
She personally went to Zhu's school to thank him and brought fruit and milk. She said she admired Zhu's bravery so much that if she had a daughter, she would have wanted him as her son-in-law.
Zhu explained that he was frightened by the fire, but he made quick decisions and used the emergency safety techniques she had learned in school. His teacher said that Zhu's heroic behaviour was no surprise, as he often helps other students. In addition to his bravery, Zhu is also an accomplished badminton player, having won the district championship two years in a row.
Because of this daring rescue in just his underpants, Zhu became affectionately known as "Underpants Man."
