A 13-year-old boy from Hunter Valley is being hailed as a hero after he helped a 92-year-old woman escape her burning home. Luke Mullard was returning home from school on November 13 when he heard a loud bang and noticed a large cloud of smoke rising in the air.

"I jumped off the bus and ran down and saw this elderly woman," Mullard said. The fire engulfed Roma Wilson's house and a van parked in her driveway. Thick black smoke was pouring from the property in Thornton when Mullard arrived and immediately called emergency services.

"I walked around the grass area and the side fence and saw Roma. I tried to get her out, and literally 30 seconds later, there was a massive explosion," he recalled. Wilson was trapped and calling for help, but the explosions made it difficult for anyone to hear her.

"When I found her, she yelled out, 'Thank you so much,'" Mullard said. He assisted her from the yard to an air-conditioned car, where they waited for emergency crews to arrive.

Wilson was watching television in the back of her house when she first heard the noise. Initially thinking someone was at the front door, she became alarmed when she smelled smoke and felt heat coming from the front of the house. Upon opening the garage door, she was met with a thick cloud of smoke.

"By this time, I'm trying to sing out 'can anyone help me,' and that's when Luke walked up," Wilson said. She praised Mullard for his quick actions, stating, "Just so wonderful, he's only 13."

Investigators believe the fire was caused by a battery from an electric scooter. Inspired by his experience, Mullard expressed interest in becoming a first responder in the future. "I've done my research; it sucks because I want to drop out and become a first responder, but you have to be 18," he said.

After the incident, Mullard returned to his part-time job as if nothing had happened. Local police later visited him, expressing their astonishment at his bravery. "They were sort of gobsmacked … they thought I was a little bit older. The detective turned around and told mum, 'You don't know what he did, do you?' He saved someone's life," Mullard said.