Ken Thomas, 83, is rescued from blazing flat in Mackenzie Road, Holloway
Published: 18th March, 2011
by TERRY MESSENGER
A MAN living in sheltered accommodation for the elderly rescued a fellow resident after fire ripped through his flat.
Ken Thomas, 83, was trapped in his flat by smokes and flames when his neighbour John Walsh, 61, came to his aid.
The blaze erupted at a block of warden-assisted flats in Mackenzie Road, Holloway, on Saturday evening.
Mr Walsh, 63, saw the older man struggling to open his front door to escape as smoke filled his four-room flat at Brightwell Court.
He opened the door and carried his neighbour to safety as four fire crews arrived at the scene.
Most of the other 30 elderly residents were also evacuated with some being carried out by firefighters, according to witnesses.
The manager of a newsagent’s opposite the building said: “The first I knew was when the fire engines came. They blocked off the road and went into the building. We saw firemen rushing inside and carrying people out. I think a lot of them were carried out.”
A London Fire Brigade spokesman said: “One man was rescued by a member of the public from the second floor before the Brigade arrived.” Mr Thomas was taken to the Whittington Hospital and treated for smoke inhalation.
The Brigade took an hour to bring the blaze under control. Crews from Holloway, Islington, Poplar and Euston fire stations attended. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The complex is run by Circle Anglia housing association.