Fireman saves three children on fourth day in job

""I could see people at the second-floor window, with smoke pouring out, waving their arms. The officer in charge said someone needed to go up the ladder immediately and I did not hesitate," Mr Johnson said. He climbed the 13.5-metre ladder and helped a child out of the window before rescuing two more children. Four adults were also assisted down the ladder."

""I had just finished work and returned home and was eating dinner in the kitchen when suddenly we heard a blast from downstairs. "I opened the door and there was a lot of smoke already. The people downstairs were telling us there was a fire. "Everyone in the flat woke up but there was so much smoke, we couldn't see or breathe properly. We called the fire brigade and went to the window for help where firefighters helped rescue us.""

"A London firefighter who rescued three children from a flat fire on his fourth day in the job has been praised for his "calm response". Zekel Johnson, 30, was dispatched from West Norwood Fire Station to London Road, Croydon, after an e-bike battery exploded and started a fire in the building's communal hallway. "I could see people at the second-floor window, with smoke pouring out, waving their arms."

An e-bike battery exploded in a communal hallway on London Road, Croydon, igniting a fire and heavy smoke. Zekel Johnson, 30, a firefighter on his fourth day, climbed a 13.5-metre ladder to a second-floor window and removed three children while assisting four adults down the ladder. A resident reported a blast, thick smoke and inability to breathe before firefighters reached the window to rescue occupants. Six adults and three children were assessed at the scene by London Ambulance Service for smoke inhalation but did not require hospital treatment. LFB leadership praised the crews for swift rescues and limiting fire spread.

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