Mr Michael Feeney ran barefoot from his home and tried three times to rescue the family trapped in the blaze. But Mr Feeney (48), who works as a fireman at City of Derry Airport, said each time he was driven back by the intense heat and smoke.
"My daughter, Marcel, came into my bedroom at about 3.30 a.m. and said there was a fire in McCauley's house . . . I managed to find my fire tunic which I put on for protection . . . I got in the back door of the house. I then went into the kitchen where I tried to cut the fire off by closing the kitchen door, but I couldn't. I then went upstairs. The density of the smoke and heat was overpowering so I had to crawl up the stairs and I found that very difficult so I had to come down.
"I went back upstairs, again on my stomach, and made contact with members of the family. They were in a first-floor room. They called to me, they shouted out `Mickey, Mickey help'. It was a devastating experience for me hearing them calling out my name.
"I shouted back to them. I tried to instruct them that if they were safe enough in the room to stay where they were because there was no way they could have come down the stairs . . . I felt that the heat and smoke were starting to overcome me so I had to crawl back down the stairs again.
"I crawled down and went into the living room where I found the father lying on the floor . . . I managed to drag him out of the living room door. . .
"I was worried that the fire was directly behind me and it was becoming more intense so I had to leave the house again for some fresh air. I knew the fire service was on the way so I went back into the house again. I crawled up the stairs for a third time. I heard voices, this time in a quieter, almost semi-conscious manner, trying to call out my name.
"When the fire service arrived I told them about the location of the people upstairs. They went in with their breathing apparatus and got them out."