A terrified young mum held on tight to her new-born baby fearing they would not make it out of their home as a fire tore through the building where they live.

The baby was among 13 people rescued by firefighters from an early morning fire in Shepherd’s Bush last Saturday (November 3), which trapped neighbours in their homes above a shisha bar in Goldhawk Road.

Adisa Sesey, 23, was feeding her barely two-month old daughter at around 5am when she heard shouts of "fire" from outside her first-floor flat.

“I usually hear noises but something told me to get up for this one, I had to grab the keys and I heard ‘fire, fire’,” she said.

“I opened the door and loads of smoke came gushing in at once. I ran back and grabbed the baby.

“I grabbed her and then I was so panicky, I had to think on my feet and covered her with a blanket and held her to my chest.”

The daThe damage caused to the outside of her flat

With just one entrance and exit to her building, Adisa saw the smoke was too much for them to get out the normal way, so she headed to her balcony with her neighbour.

Firefighters were quickly on the scene but Adisa says she was in the building for roughly 25 minutes before she came down on a ladder.

‘I don’t want to go back’

Adisa only moved in back in March but says she is not willing to move back there after what happened.

“The number of times I have cried, I just can’t anymore,” she said.

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“I had to think on my feet, I usually panic but in this moment I was thinking about the baby and had to think fast but I was very, very scared.

“Even if that place is suitable [when considered safe to return] I would not want to go back there, it’s too traumatic.”

Adisa says there was so much smoke that she fears it’s now never going to be safe for her baby girl.

What’s happened since?

Adisa and her baby were taken to hospital once they got out – though thankfully the baby had not breathed in any toxins and was in perfect health.

Her mum had inhaled a small amount of smoke and was soon discharged from hospital.

They have since been put up in a Holiday Inn, which Adisa says has “unsettled” her baby, until she gets new accommodation - and she hopes this will be in the same area.

Adisa called for help from her balcony

Adisa, a cardiology coordinator on maternity leave, has been supported well by her partner but says her baby’s clothes have been ruined.

“It’s been a struggle with a new-born, she hasn’t even had all her injections yet,” she said.

“I’ve lost clothes for her and I’ll have to shop for her all over again.”

How did the fire spread?

The fire started in the outside decking area of shisha bar Zaman Lounge and spread across the canopy to the side of the building at 5.24am.

Around 40 firefighters arrived and rescued people stranded by the smoke in the flats above.

The fire was brought under control at 6.53am.

The fire started in the decking outside

Station manager Keith Williams, who was at the scene, said: "Firefighters were faced with a challenging fire when they arrived and residents in the flats above were unable to leave due to the smoke.

"Crews carried out a number of rescues quickly and safely evacuated all the residents including seven adults, five children and one baby."

One adult and two children were rescued by ladder, four adults and three children were rescued by firefighters wearing breathing apparatus and two adults with a child self-evacuated.

There were no injuries.

Six fire engines and firefighters from Hammersmith, Kensington, Chiswick, Acton and North Kensington fire stations attended the scene.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.