Teaching assistant hailed a hero for going into burning building to save lives

Sanaz Ghanbari
John Dunne @jhdunne21 November 2018

A teaching assistant was today hailed a hero for helping to save her neighbours from a blaze in a block of flats.

Sanaz Ghanbari, 26, was alerted by flames coming from the roof of the three-storey block opposite her home in West Hampstead, just before 4am on Monday. She rushed outside to raise the alarm but, unable to wake the sleeping residents, entered the burning building and ran from door to door yelling “Evacuate!”

Miss Ghanbari said: “Windows were cracking from the heat and there was smoke everywhere. I was kicking doors open and working my way through the building. A woman shouted: ‘my mother’s in a wheelchair... can’t get out’, so I helped carry her out.

“I just had to help, I couldn’t think of myself, I had to help these poor people. There was screaming, it was terrible.”

Blaze: Sanaz Ghanbari ran into the burning building to wake residents and help them escape

Dozens of people escaped the blaze but one man, Tony Goodridge, who lived alone with his dog, was pronounced dead from smoke inhalation. He was rescued from his second-floor flat, where the blaze is believed to have started, by fire crews but died at the scene. Six fire engines and 40 firefighters were called and the fire was under control by 6.04am.

Miss Ghanbari, who was treated for smoke inhalation, said: “There did not seem to be any fire alarms. I was the alarm. I’m just so sad I couldn’t save that poor man.”

The wreckage of the top floor flat in the West End Sidings estate after the fire

Dlair Kadhem, 34, an IT worker, was working late while his family were sleeping, when Ms Ghanbari raised the alarm. He said: “She was amazing. She put her life at risk to save us. We could have died had it not been for her bravery... she is a hero.”

The cause of the fire is under investigation. A Camden council spokesman said: “We were deeply saddened to hear of this fatality and having assisted the emergency services with their investigations we await the fire investigation report. Three flats in the building have been impacted by the fire and have been offered temporary accommodation or provided with advice and support.”

The council said it could not comment on the fire safety measures in the flats while the investigation was ongoing.

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