Firefighters saved eight people in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Haringey firefighters combat two blazes early Saturday morning

By Denise Roland Tuesday, September 11, 2012
1:55 PM

Firefighters saved eight people - including three young children - after two Haringey homes caught fire within hours of each other

The firefighters braved flames and heavy smoke on the hall, stairs and landing of a house in White Hart Lane, off High Road, to rescue a mother and her three young children from an upstairs bedroom after being called out at 03.06am.

Soon after, at 06.46am, they were called to a fire in Frobisher Road, off Green Lanes, where four people were also saved from danger.

Both fires were brought under control swiftly, with damage only extending to a small part of the ground floor in each home.

Crews from Hornsey and Tottenham fire stations attended each incident, with around 15 officers sent in both events.

Tottenham fire station officer Jon Thornton, who attended the White Hart Lane blaze, said: “The firefighters did tremendously well. It’s only what we are paid and trained to do, but I really think the incident could have been fatal if the crew had not arrived at the scene so quickly.”

He praised the work of fire control teams who gave crucial guidance to the family over the phone as they awaited rescue saying: “The fire survival guidance played a massive part. If the family had tried to come out of the bedroom it could have turned out very differently.

“There was no way they were going to get out of the house by themselves.”

All eight victims suffered from smoke inhalation, with the family of White Hart Lane being treated in hospital. The four people rescued from Frobisher Road were treated at the scene by ambulance crews.

An appliance is suspected to have started the fire in Frobisher Road, and a suspicious cause has not yet been ruled out for the incident in White Hart Lane, where investigations are ongoing.