London has some new heroes, according to the Hackney Gazette.
Sam Gelder and Yasemin Craggs Mersinoglu reported: “Worshippers leaving night prayers in Lower Clapton last night risked their lives by running to the top floor of a burning building to rescue hundreds of people.”
Members of the mosque spotted a fire breaking out on the eighth floor of Gooch House in Kenninghall Road in the early hours of the morning. They broke in, ran to the top floor of the tower block, and started banging on all the doors to wake the residents up.
Thanks to these heroes, everyone had escaped before the firefighters even arrived.
A resident, who had lived on the seventh floor for 15 years, told the Hackney Gazette: “They banged on our doors shouting: ‘Fire, fire, get out’. We were obviously a bit confused but I could smell it and hear the alarm going off in the upstairs flat.
“They helped my mum downstairs while I took my wife and checked on an elderly resident on the first floor who is recovering from cancer.
“They made sure everyone got out. They knocked on each door until someone opened. There was six or seven of them and they were only young. If it wasn’t for them we would never have got out.
“They are fasting but spent an hour running up and down 18 floors. They broke their way in not knowing what was inside. It could have been a lot worse – they risked their lives.
“It was a really important show of community spirit. It shows there are still people willing to help others and risk their own life.”
The fire was caused by a discarded cigarette and was brought under control within an hour. One man was treated for smoke inhalation, but fortunately there were no serious injuries.
Read the full story at hackneygazette.co.uk
Also published on Medium.