A hero neighbour bravely smashed his way into a burning home in a desperate attempt to save a family from a fire that killed a mother and her three children.
A 43-year-old woman, a 15-year-old girl, and two boys – aged eight and four – all died at the scene in Tillett Close in Stonebridge, north west London, in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Electrician Victor Pedra told The Sun how he had heard a father screaming for help and raced to the home.
He smashed a window, injuring his hand in the process, and helped save a 70-year-old grandmother and her teenage granddaughter from the flames.
According to the newspaper, the grandmother has been released from hospital while schoolgirl remains in hospital in intensive care.
Mr Pedra, 33, said: ‘I heard the dad outside crying and screaming “my children, my wife, my whole family is in there”. He was in shock and couldn’t really speak.’
He recalled seeing firefighters bring the mother and one of the sons out of the home where they carried out CPR for an hour in a desperate attempt to save her live.
‘I couldn’t sleep that night as I just kept hearing the screams from inside the house,’ Mr Pedra added.
This morning, floral tributes and a blue teddy bear can be seen resting up against a brick wall near the scene of the fatal blaze.
Scaffolding has also been erected at the front of the burnt out home.
Local councillor Tariq Dar MBE yesterday named Usman Ghani as the man whose children and wife had been killed.
He wrote on Facebook: ‘It is with profound sadness that we share the heartbreaking news of the passing of the wife and three beloved children—a daughter and two young sons—of Brother Usman Ghani in a tragic house fire in Wembley last night.
‘Please remember the entire family in your heartfelt duas during this incredibly difficult time.’
Scotland Yard yesterday arrested a 41-year-old man on suspicion of murder. He was taken into custody where he was quizzed by detectives.
Devastated neighbours raised the alarm at 1am when they saw flames coming from the building and later heard ‘small explosions’.
Neighbours today told how one man had to be held back as he went to rush back inside the burning building to rescue the family.
While a girl was seen coming out of the home coughing and covered in soot before being put onto a stretcher.
One neighbour, who did not wish to be named, said: ‘A Somali family lived next door. They came out through the back because the front door was stuck.
‘I brought the children into my house. They were distraught and shaken up.’
Michael Quinlivan, 83, has lived in the area for 49 years and said he had never witnessed anything like this.
‘I woke up at quarter to three in the morning, when I came down there were a load of people sitting on those stairs.
‘I think I knew the older lady – she was a nice woman. Every time I saw her we’d talk. I went back to bed and could still hear people talking.’
An eyewitness, who lives near the scene, said yesterday she had returned home to see the house ablaze, with neighbours standing on the road.
She said she could hear ‘small explosions’ from the property and the smell of smoke had spread to her house 50 yards away.
Another resident who lives on a nearby street described the fire as ‘an awful thing’ and said it had spread ‘so quickly’.
One added: ‘They were a nice family – it’s shocking.’
Mohamed Labidi, a 38-year-old teacher, who lives on Tillett Close, said he ‘can’t even look at the house’.
He said he knew the woman, adding that the four victims of the fire were ‘really good people’.#
‘We used to socialise together,’ Mr Labidi said. ‘I can’t even look at the house at the house right now.’
Cecilia Marquis, 60, a caterer at Brentford FC said she was ‘stunned by the devastation’ of the blaze.
Ms Marquis, who witnessed the fire in her street, said: ‘This will leave a devastating impact. I just feel numb.’
A person who lives next door to the house, who did not wish to be named, said: ‘It’s horrible, we saw people running outside.
‘It’s hard to process. I only just moved in so it’s hard to think about it.’
Eight fire engines and 70 firefighters from stations across Wembley, Park Royal and Willesden tackled the blaze. It took around two hours to bring the fire under control.
A barefooted shirtless man wearing shorts and covered in soot was seen outside the burning building.
A woman gave him some clothes and stayed with him for about 30 minutes and said he was later taken away by police.
‘He was just sitting in my car until the police came and took him and I haven’t seen him since.
‘I tried to speak to him but he wasn’t talking – all he said was that it was his friend’s house.’
Superintendent Steve Allen, from the Met’s local policing team in north-west London said yesterday: ‘We remain in the early stages of our investigation, however one man was arrested outside the house. He remains in custody and is being questioned by officers.
‘I recognise the significant impact this incident has had on the community. We are working closely with local authority partners and will have officers in Tillet Close throughout the day.
‘I would also ask anyone with information about what happened to contact us by calling 101 or speaking to officers at the scene.’
London Fire Brigade assistant commissioner Keeley Foster said: ‘This is an extremely tragic incident, and the thoughts of everyone across the Brigade are with those impacted by this incident.’