‘Can anybody rescue us’ Grenfell victim pleaded for help for herself and toddler
A WOMAN who died in the Grenfell Tower fire alongside her two-year-old son had said "I feel like jumping" as she pleaded for help in a desperate 999 call.
Grenfell: Firefighter recalls rescuing occupants of floor 14
Zainab Deen, 32, and toddler Jeremiah both died after becoming trapped on the 14th floor of the burning high-rise in west London. The public inquiry into last year's June 14 blaze, which killed 72 people, on Friday was shown a transcript of her 999 call, which lasted more than four minutes. She asked London Fire Brigade control room officer Yvonne Adams: "How can I get out of here?"
Ms Deen continued: "I have a child, I have a child. Help me."
She later said: "There is fire. There is fire coming from the door. I feel like jumping, I feel like jumping.
"Can anybody come? Can anybody come and rescue me? Can anybody come and rescue me?"
The inquiry earlier heard that Ms Deen begged to join her dead son before herself perishing in the blaze.
Ms Adams, who has 45 years' experience, told the inquiry she took more than 40 calls on the night of the fire.
She said: ”It just went mad. There was so much happening, it was just horrendous."
In a statement, the officer recalled the moment a colleague showed her a picture of Grenfell Tower.
"I could not believe it was on fire, the whole building. I thought to myself 'Oh my God, these people are dead'," she said.
"How could they get out? I felt pure shock."
The inquiry earlier heard harrowing evidence of Ms Deen and Jeremiah's final moments from firefighter Christopher Batcheldor.
He told how he reassured the frantic mother, who identified herself as Zenay, that they would be rescued after being handed a phone by her brother, Francis.
He said he heard the little boy crying from the beginning of the call and said he was "gagging" to hear the door kicked in by fire crews.
After about half an hour, the toddler stopped coughing and crying.
In a written statement to the inquiry, Nr Batcheldor said: "Zenay was crying 'My boy's dead'.
"She said 'I want to be with my son'.
"I said 'Don't talk like that. We are coming for you. Don't give up'.
"I then passed the phone back to Francis and said 'Tell her you love her and that you are waiting for her. Tell her to keep fighting'."