A shopping trip in Springvale quickly turned into horror for the heroic Robert Tomecki.
On the late morning of 18 November 2016, Tomecki heard screams and watched black smoke and flames billowing out of the Commonwealth Bank branch’s front doors on the opposite side of Springvale Road.
A man had self-immolated inside the bank filled with nearly 40 customers and staff, igniting a scene of “panic, confusion and danger”, a County Court judge later noted.
Without hesitation, Tomecki ran to the rear of the building and entered the fray.
“You could hear the yelling. It was dark and smoky – I couldn’t see the hand in front of my face.
“I tried yelling out and a few got out – including the perpetrator, he just ran past me in the middle of the group.”
He and two other rescuers heard entrapped people yelling behind an internal door, which Tomecki kicked open.
They helped about 10 victims outside to safety.
Tomecki returned with a fire extinguisher. He put out the blaze before emergency services arrived.
In recognition, Tomecki, now 53, of Hampton Park, has been presented with a Commendation for Brave Conduct as part of the Australian Bravery Awards on 26 March.
The hard-working Hallam Bolts & Industrial employee and supermarket delivery driver says he still seeks out extreme thrill-seeking, such as travelling overseas and bungy-jumping.
On the fateful day in 2016, he was left with the nauseating after-effects of smoke exposure.
He says he stayed inside as long as he could for “the last person to get out” until he was overwhelmed.
“Everyone got out,” he said. “There could have been a bigger situation …”
The fire was started by then-21-year-old Nur Islam, who had doused himself with petrol and set himself alight.
The blaze quickly engulfed the bank, injuring 15 customers and staff.
Four received serious full-thickness burns to their faces, hands and other parts of their body, requiring hospitalisation and rehabilitation.
Nur, who survived with self-inflicted burns to 60 per cent of his body, was later jailed for up to 11 years.
Tomecki also remembers 2016 for his beloved Western Bulldogs winning their first premiership in more than 50 years.
The other unexpected silver lining was news of his bravery award this month.
“The best thing is it will make my mum happy. She’s been going through a fair bit for a while.”
