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Surin Ilie - 'the 'hero of Hampstead' - at the flower stall where he works |
Hero of Hampstead comes to the rescue
Flower stall trader rushed into a burning building to save wheelchair-bound millionaire
A MILLIONAIRE property developer was rescued from his burning Hampstead home by an eagle-eyed flower stall trader who spotted smoke coming from the roof.
Witnesses described how wheelchair-bound Lionel Green had been unaware of the danger as he was downstairs watching TV.
A neighbour, who described Mr Green and his wife Pamela as “very nice people”, said the fire had left them “shaken up”.
Valuable antiques and paintings were rescued by firemen, it is thought.
Mr Green is a well-known businessman who built his Spaniards Road home and the neighbouring block, Mount Tyndal.
Trader Sorin Ilie, who works at the Secret Garden flower stall – and two other men – dashed in to save the couple after noticing smoke licking the roof.
Having located Mr Green, Mr Ilie’s thoughts then turned to Mrs Green.
He said: “I went upstairs to look for the woman – I didn’t know at the time that she wasn’t at home. I was scared – I knew she was also in a wheelchair and I thought maybe someone could die there.”
After Mr Ilie’s screams went unanswered, he was eventually forced back downstairs: “I heard the flames very near and I left quickly.”
His boss, Hasan Bilici, praised his bravery and said: “He’s a hero. His new nickname is the Hero of Hampstead.”
Neighbours say it is the second time the couple have been struck by tragedy, after Mrs Green was hit by a car last year.
The house is known locally as the Roundhouse because of its copper domed roof.
Firefighter Tony Walsh, Green Watch manager at West Hampstead fire station, was one of 40 officers at the scene.
He said: “This was a severe fire but due to the efforts of the crew they managed to save an awful lot of the occupiers’ artefacts – which equalled or surpassed the value of the home.”
He added: “The owner was quite adamant they were valuable paintings.”
The fire, which took three hours to control, started at around 3pm and was caused by a ceiling light on the first floor. There is “extreme damage” to the bedroom, bathroom, and the copper roof, Mr Walsh said.
Speaking yesterday (Wednesday), Mr Green’s son David denied the paintings were of value, but praised the firefighters: “I’ll certainly be contributing to their Christmas fund.”
He said his parents were doing well. |
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