Man runs down street on fire before bystanders rush to his aid

29 February 2024 , 19:19

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The man was engulfed in flames (Image: TWITTER)

Images show a man who ran down a London street on fire before passers-by helped to put out the flames.

Emergency services rushed to the incident on the junction of Edgware Road and Connaught Street shortly after 7pm yesterday. The man was rushed to the hospital where his condition was assessed as non life-threatening by police and the event is not seen as suspicious.

The man was seen screaming as he was engulfed around the waist and upper body in orange flames before he lay on the ground and people around him where able to put out the blaze using clothing.

A Met Police spokesperson said: "Police were called at 7pm on Wednesday, February 28, by LAS to reports of a man on fire in Edgware Road at the junction with Connaught Street. He was taken to hospital. His condition is not being treated as life-threatening. The circumstances are not being treated as suspicious."

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: "We were called at 7:01pm yesterday (February 28) to reports of an incident at the junction of Edgware Road and Connaught Street, W2. We sent an ambulance crew and a paramedic in a fast response car to the scene. Our first medics arrived on scene in approximately four minutes. We treated a patient at the scene before taking them to a major trauma centre."

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It comes after an unassuming binman was hailed as a hero for rescuing a couple and their dog from a devastating house fire had a "cup of tea" at Greggs later. Steve Whitehouse, 49, was on his trade waste round with bin lorry driver Kevin Marriott when they spotted the blaze at a maisonette at 8am on Tuesday. He leapt over a fence and climbed up a wall to reach the first-floor balcony of the property to reach a screaming woman as the flames quickly took hold.

Emergency services rushed to the incident on the junction of Edgware Road and Connaught Street (TWITTER)

The Serco employee helped Tiffany Dupree down and then along with Mr Marriott he rescued Zac(corr) Braden and their dog Skye before fire crews arrived at the scene. Ms Dupree reportedly said afterwards how she feels "lucky to be alive".

Fire bosses have praised Steve and said without his "incredible bravery" the outcome may have been "very different" following the blaze in Tipton, West Midlands. Dad-of-one Steve, or Winnie as he is known by his colleagues, from West Bromwich, said: "I saw a young woman screaming from the balcony and all I could think was that I needed to get to her as quickly as possible.

"The smoke was getting thicker. I called to anyone else who might be inside and could hear a young man shouting in distress for his dog. I managed to bundle up the dog in a blanket, jumped back down to the ground, and got the owner to throw the dog to me. I then went back up to help him."

Tim Hanlon