A mother's life was saved after her quick-thinking partner pulled her from her burning flat just before midnight on Sunday.
The couple narrowly escaped from the flat in Berkeley House, Mansell Road, Acton, and the woman's two daughters returned home later to find smoke and fire billowing from the windows.
Four fire crews from across the borough battled into the early hours of the morning to extinguish the severe fire, which had spread into the front and back garden.
Neighbour MH Bakri, who lives below the gutted flat, said he was awoken by police banging on his door and his children were frightened when they saw the fire.
The pensioner, who lives in the flat with his wife and five children, said: "We were woken just before midnight and were told to leave the flat.
"We saw high flames around the flat and when the glass exploded, it sounded like a bomb going off.
"We were so shocked and the kids were so frightened as they had never seen a fire before but we were all lucky to escape.
"Ealing fire brigade responded quickly but they don't know what started the fire."
The 71-year-old said the fire was put out at about 3:30am but water from the flat above flooded his kitchen and his electricity was cut off.
Several roads near the flat in Berkeley House were cordoned off but re-opened hours later.
A spokesman from the fire brigade said: "Two people escaped before firefighters got there at 12:15am on Sunday.
"There were no smoke alarms fitted and the flat was burning quite severely.
"Four crews from Acton and Ealing put the fire out within four hours and the cause of the fire is not yet known."
