An Erpei, 21, receives 2,000 yuan (US$290) reward; says he wanted to repay Hangzhou which had been kind to him
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenZoey ZhangPublished: 9:00am, 4 Jul 2026A courier in eastern China has been celebrated as a hero after bravely charging into a burning flat three times to extinguish the flames before collapsing from smoke inhalation.
An Erpei, 21, from Hangzhou, had just returned to his rented flat after a late shift on June 25, when he heard a fire alarm while washing dishes.
As he fled the building with his girlfriend and family, An noticed the blaze coming from an unoccupied flat on the third floor.
Security guards and property staff were already on the scene, but thick smoke filled the corridor, obstructing their efforts to combat the rapidly spreading fire.
Despite his girlfriend’s pleas to wait for the firefighters, An seized a dry powder extinguisher and hurried into the burning home in his slippers.
