Burning Springvale bank was a 'war zone': brave hero Mitch Jackson

Mitch Jackson, 28, had just made his way to his car on Springvale Road after depositing a cheque at the Commonwealth Bank.

The owner of car detailing business Divine Detailing was looking up the address to his next job when a sound made him stop.

"I heard some screaming," Mr Jackson said.

"I thought it was just kids playing, then  I saw smoke coming, people standing around ... in shock ... that's when I jumped out of the car and ran back there."

The father-of-two said what he saw seemed like a "war zone".

"It was bedlam; it was crazy. You see people running around with soot and burns on their face and hands, screaming in the streets," Mr Jackson said.

"It was full-on. Not something you expect to see in Melbourne."

But he said what he found really shocking was the number of people who were standing around, doing nothing, or taking photos or videos on their smartphones, instead of calling the police or getting a fire extinguisher.

Then he bumped into "Ash", who is Ashley Atkin-Fone.

"There was one fella in fluoro who had a fire extinguisher, but was struggling to get it to work, so I went and grabbed another fire extinguisher from another shop and came over.

"Then he got his [fire extinguisher] working and we both put out the flames at the front door which was shut."

Lacking pockets, Mr Jackson handed his phone and car keys to the Optus phone shop employees next door before he went to fight the fire.

A bank employee told the two men there were more people trapped inside the bank, but they couldn't be rescued as the front door couldn't be accessed.

"We ran around to the back," Mr Jackson said. "The door was unlocked and there were four of the staff members standing outside."

Mr Jackson said he was joined by two other Good Samaritans – "a Kiwi and another guy in fluoros".

"We covered our faces and went in," he said. "The Kiwi guy went in super fast ... he saw somebody flashing their phone. We made a line and guided them out the door.

"About six or seven people came out. And the very last one ... everything was burnt, he had nothing on him," Mr Jackson said.

"One of the guys from the bank said 'that's the guy who poured petrol on himself and set everyone on fire'."

The trio then grabbed the guy and held him.

"He started typing on his phone, so we took his phone off him," Mr Jackson said.

"He looked spaced out. Me and this Kiwi fella took him ... put him on top of the boxes ... inside a little fenced area ... so he couldn't make a run for it."

Mr Jackson said they asked the man, now understood to be Myanmar refugee Nur Islam, why he did it.

"He said, 'because they moved me', and he is pointing like in the air," Mr Jackson said.

"He said, 'they moved me from here to here, then they moved me again, then they moved me again. And I have no money. I can't even afford to eat'."

Mr Jackson said though he was concerned about his safety, he didn't hesitate before heading into the burning bank to rescue people.

"I didn't think about it," he said. "I guess, you just have to do what had to be done. That's what I hope someone would do for me if I was in the same scenario."

The Mordialloc man said the incident had made him more alert.

"I went out with my son today. It just makes you more alert, like you have to watch everything around. You have to be on edge ..." Mr Jackson said. "It makes you realise it can happen anywhere."

For help, call Lifeline 131 114, beyondblue 1300 224 636, SuicideLine 1300 651 251 or MensLine 1300 789 978.