Heroes rescue blaze mum
Published: July 10, 2007
AN UNCONSCIOUS mother was rescued and given mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on the pavement by firefighters after a blaze broke out in her home.
The heroic rescue took place as around 20 firefighters and four fire engines tackled the fire, which started in the entrance hall of the house in Eastfield Road, opposite Campsbourne Infants School, Hornsey.
A Staffordshire Bull Terrier dog, understood to belong to the woman’s son, was also rescued from a bedroom on the first floor during the blaze, which broke out shortly before 9.30pm last Thursday.
One resident who saw the drama unfold, but did not want to be identified, said: “One of my neighbours said he saw the flames licking at the front door, quite strong too.
“They must have put that out at the front so they could get in to the rest of the house.
“Two firemen went in, I guess one checked downstairs and the other went up and rescued the woman.
“I saw him carry her out. She was lying on the pavement and they were trying to resuscitate her.”
Firefighter Gary Keys, manager of White Watch at Hornsey fire station, said: “When we arrived the fire was going very well in the entrance hall area.
“It had to be put out on the ground-floor level as it blocked any means of escape through the front door for anybody that was upstairs. We made a forced entry through the front door.”
Firefighters using breathing equipment found the woman in an upstairs bedroom, and carried her out.
Mr Keys added: “She was unconscious and we were of the opinion that she wasn’t breathing. CPR was undertaken.
“It was a success all round.”
The woman, 52, was experiencing “severe difficulty” breathing when ambulance staff arrived, who gave her oxygen and rushed her to the Whittington Hospital, a spokeswoman said.
The victim was recovering in hospital. The dog escaped unharmed.
The blaze was under control inside 45 minutes, and damaged around a quarter of the house, which was sealed off by police while forensic investigators examined the scene for signs of suspicious circumstances.
None were found and the blaze is not being treated as suspicious.
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