Teenager rescued unconscious boy from Strabane bonfire after assault

A 17-year-old girl pulled an unconscious teenager from a bonfire in Strabane, County Tyrone, after he was punched and fell into the flames, she told the BBC. The boy suffered severe burns to his face and hands, according to a local councillor who has spoken to his mother.

Tianna Patterson said she saw the boy collapse into the fire and tried to help “on instinct”. “I just reached for him by the neck and pulled him out of the bonfire,” she said. She then called the emergency services using a friend’s phone.

Patterson, an A-level student at Holy Cross College in Strabane, said she had been at the bonfire with friends when the incident happened on Saturday night. Her mother, Alex, said the family was proud of her quick response.

Independent councillor Paul Gallagher said the boy would need extensive medical care and face a long recovery. He described the bonfire as a danger to young people.

Police are seeking the person who assaulted the boy. No arrests have been made, and officers have appealed for witnesses and anyone with mobile-phone footage to come forward.