The fire is believed to have started when an e-bike battery exploded while on charge at the bottom of the stairs – cutting off the occupants’ escape route.
Within seconds of spotting the fire, Mr Whitehouse got out of the bin lorry, leapt over a fence, and scaled a wall to the maisonette balcony, from which he pulled the woman to safety.
“The smoke was getting thicker. I called to anyone else who might be inside and could hear a young man shouting in distress for his dog,” the 49-year-old Serco employee said.
“I managed to bundle up the dog in a blanket, jumped back down to the ground, and got the owner to throw the dog to me. I then went back up to help him.”
Once Mr Whitehouse had completed the rescues, he started banging on neighbours’ doors to alert them to the danger.
Mr Marriott tended to neighbours who had evacuated their homes for safety, and let Mr Whitehouse’s family know what was happening.
Later, once they had recovered over a coffee, the pair continued with their round.
Mr Whitehouse has worked as a refuse operative in Sandwell since 2007.
“I wanted to be sure that all our customers got their collections. But that’s just me – it will probably sink in later today what actually happened,” he added.
