Boy's actions saves three in Uxbridge Road fire

Dhanesh Patel, whose father runs Costcutters on Uxbridge Road, spotted the fire, and alerted three men living in the flats above the fire.

Realising they were trapped, they hung from the ledges, 15-20 feet above the pavement, but Dhanesh urged them to hold on, while he ran to his uncle's carpet shop to fetch a ladder.

His mother, Hemangi Patel, said: "They would have broken their legs if they had jumped.
"The men were very appreciative, they like him very much, nobody in the flats had noticed the fire until he alerted them.

"At first they thought he was joking around when he raised the alarm, but it is now clear he saved three lives."

By the time emergency services arrived on the scene, he had helped two of the men escape via the ladder, and he then opened the back gate to the Fire Brigade who went round the back to rescue the third man from the building.

Dhanesh also collected the property that the three men threw down which he was able to return to them.

The fire took over an hour to bring under control, and half of the first floor was badly damaged, with the cause of the fire still under investigation.

Dhanesh, a student at Featherstone High School in Southall, who was playing outside with friends at the time, said: "I feel happy as the people stuck up there were my friends, it is good that no one got injured."

His father Jiwan Kenth, said: "Dhanesh is always vigilant and alert, everyone was in danger and it was saved in time, we are very proud of him."

When police arrived there was a large crowd gathered, and they cordoned off the area for the safety for the public, while the Uxbridge Road was also closed to traffic for a short period.

PC Dean Stimpson, who was one of the first officers on the scene, said: "I was really taken aback by the quick thinking of this young 13 year old lad who wasted no time and acted immediately when he spotted the smoke.

"Not only did he potentially save the lives of the occupants inside but he also saved serious injury by talking to the occupants as they were hanging from ledges ready to jump and sourcing a ladder to escape.
"It leaves me to say 'Well done Dhanesh'".