Nine people wore breathing gear as they were led to safety, while six were saved from a flat roof via a ladder, and two were rushed to hospital
A man has recalled the terrifying moment he saw ‘trapped [people] trying to escape’ a raging fire in Wood Green that forced a number of evacuations. The fire merited 80 firefighters across 12 engines after the Wood Green buildings, which are used as a restaurant and homes, went up in flames at around 9.25pm last night (Monday, July 7).
Nine people wore breathing gear as they were led to safety, while six were saved from a flat roof via a ladder.
The man, 28, lives in the affected building. He said: “I was on the terrace with a friend when we smelt the smoke and heard people screaming.”
He added: “Shortly after we were evacuated from the building at about 1am. I took my passport, papers, and my cat. The fire brigade came very quickly and extinguished it.”
But the builder also told us about the harrowing moment he saw panicking people trying to escape. He said: “They were trying to get out from this side [pointing to where we were standing] because over there the fire [the other way out] was blocking the exit.
“I wasn’t scared, but I was very worried for my neighbours. There was panic that the fire might spread [across the scaffold sheeting]. Once we were evacuated we were back inside after four hours.”
Married couple Leiia Zerrouki, 47, and Mohammed Yusuf, 33, were out when they learnt of the blaze.
“I felt like I was dead,” Leiia said, not knowing whether their home had been burned down or not, “I fell down as I couldn’t believe what had happened, it was very very bad. I then ran home.”
Mechanic Mohammed was just as scared as his wife. He said: “I thought my house burned down. It was scary, terrifying.”
Mohammed said when he got back and saw the videos of the blaze he was horrified to learn that the neighbours couldn’t hear an alarm. “I was told my neighbours were sleeping and someone had to knock loudly two or three times,” he said.
“If the fire was bigger it could have been bad.”
MyLondon also spoke to a woman, 45, who lives next to Mohammed and Leiia. She said someone banged on her door loudly and she saw ‘a lot’ of smoke. “Firemen told me to get out, so I got out immediately,” she said.
“I saw all this smoke and could smell it, it was very scary.”
She added that she wasn’t fully evacuated, and was just taken across the road.
The cause of the fire was recorded as undetermined.
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