A GROUP of brave neighbours helped rescue an elderly woman from a house fire in Hounslow's Wolsey Close.

Josie Parker was asleep in her home at around 8pm on July 23, when she was woken by the smell of smoke, she opened her bedroom door to be confronted by a "wall of fire".

Luckily the 75-year-old's neighbours had spotted the flames and all pulled together to get her out of the maisonette safely.

Suki Bahwara, 41, was the man to risk his own life to get her down. The ex-teacher said: "Josie wasn't at the window and I was shouting up to her. I initially tried to break the door down, but it's not as easy as it looks, so we got a spare key, but I couldn't get through the smoke, so that's when I went to get my ladder."

Suki, with the help of other neighbours put the ladder up against the pensioner's bedroom window before guiding her down.

"It's all a bit surreal now, like a dream," he added. "I also discovered later that the neighbours were hosing the fire with their hose pipes which stopped the fire spreading to the house next door. There's a really good community spirit down this road which was very evident on that evening.
"We all keep an eye out for each other."

Josie was taken to West Middlesex Hospital with smoke inhalation and is now staying at her son's house in Cheltenham.

Josie's husband Alan Parker, who she is now separated from, said: "I went around and thanked Suki greatly, I told him he was a very modest man and a very brave man."

A fire brigade spokesman said: "Four engines and 20 fire-fighters from Feltham, Heston and Twickenham attended the scene at 8.08pm and the fire was under control by 8.43pm. The maisonette was 50 per cent damaged and the cause of the fire is still under investigation."