Turkish father and son hailed as ‘heroes’ in Sweden after rescuing neighbors from fire

Mesut Zengin and his 14-year-old son, Furkan Zengin, both Turkish citizens, were praised as “heroes” on social media after rescuing several neighbors from a fire in their apartment building in the Prastgardsvegen neighborhood of Stockholm’s Upplands Vasby district.

Local newspaper Mitti Upplands Vasby featured the story on its front page, and Swedish social media celebrated the father and son for their brave actions.

Zengin, originally from Türkiye’s Kulu, Konya, who moved to Sweden in 2006, recounted the event to the reporters. He noticed the fire while taking his son to training. “I live on the first floor. When I saw the fire on the balcony, I told my son Furkan to ring the doorbells of all the apartments to warn the neighbors. I went to the third floor and helped those neighbors evacuate.”

Passed out from inhaling too much smoke

“On the fourth floor, I rang the doorbell and gave myself five seconds—if no one answered, I was going to break the large kitchen window to get inside. An elderly man opened the door, and I asked if anyone else was inside. He told me his wife was there. I told them to stay calm, as their balcony was on fire, and asked them to evacuate,” he said.

Zengin added that two neighbors gave him fire extinguishers. “I used the extinguishers to bring the flames under control, but I passed out from inhaling too much smoke when I got outside,” he said.

Spent two days in hospital

He shared that paramedics treated him in the ambulance and that his wife and son were in tears when they saw his condition. Zengin spent two days in the hospital recovering from smoke inhalation and received extensive care.

Zengin emphasized that his actions reflected the kindness of Turks.

Furkan Zengin recalled his fear upon seeing his father unconscious in the ambulance.

Turkish association honors Zengin family

The incident, widely covered by local media, was warmly received by the Turkish community in Sweden.

Ugur Ergun, president of the Stockholm Botkyrka Turkish Cultural Association, invited the father and son to the association and awarded them a plaque in recognition of their heroism and as role models in the community.