Al-Dossari shows the certificate of appreciation he received from the Civil Defense.

A Saudi who works at the Civil Defense Department in Riyadh has been honored for his efforts to save the lives of two children from a fire that broke out at a gas station in Saleel, 575 kilometers southeast of Riyadh.

Al-Dossari spotted the children inside the car, parked at the petrol station as their father went into a convenience store to buy some vegetables.

“The fire had totally engulfed the vehicle,” said Matar bin Mishkhes Al-Dossari. “The incident took place on Tuesday at the Khairan gas station in Saleel.”

“I saw smoke billowing from the gas station fire as I passed by the area and I tried my best to extinguish the fire before Civil Defense firefighters arrived at the scene,” Al-Dossari told sabq.org.

“The Civil Defense called me on Wednesday and awarded me a certificate of appreciation for saving the lives of the two children,” he said.