Saudi Gazette report

JEDDAH — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman has issued a directive to award the King Abdulaziz Medal of the First Class and a financial reward of SR1 million to young Saudi man Maher Al-Dalbahi. This is based on the recommendation of Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman in recognition of his recent heroic and courageous action that resulted in saving several people from certain death by averting a huge gas station explosion.

The honoring of Al-Dalbahi by the Saudi leadership manifests their appreciation and gratitude for the sacrifices of their citizens, who have inherited the values of courage, dedication, and sacrifice from the established principles upon which their country was founded. The family of Al-Dalbahi appreciated the royal honor, considering it as a badge of honor and a solid extension of the keenness and appreciation that the wise leadership grants to its citizens and the sacrifices they make in various fields.

Al-Dalbahi staved off a disaster that could have claimed the lives of dozens of people when a fire broke out in a truck loaded with fodder at a gas station in Al-Jamsh town in the Al-Dawadmi governorate in the Riyadh region. Showing extraordinary bravery and presence of mind, Al-Dalbahi rushed to get into the truck and quickly drove it away from the fuel tanks, preventing a massive explosion that could have had disastrous consequences. When reached the fuel station, he found flames engulfing a truck loaded with large quantities of fodder after its driver had abandoned it in the middle of the station, unable to extinguish the flames. Immediately, he climbed into the truck and quickly drove it away from the fuel station. In the midst of the rescue efforts, Al-Dalbahi sustained multiple burns and was admitted to hospital.