Mother saves family during London tower fire by flooding bathroom

Updated

LONDON — A mother reportedly saved her family by flooding her bathroom during the deadly London high-rise fire.

Natasha Elcock was trapped on the 11th floor with her six-year-old daughter and boyfriend as the fire tore through the apartment block, according to The Sun newspaper.

"I let the bathroom flood. It kept the [apartment] damp. It may have saved our lives," the paper quoted Elcock as saying.

She said the trio had initially followed the official guidance to stay put — but firefighters told them to flee around 90 minutes later.

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"We tried the door but it was too hot," the 39-year-old told The Sun. "We had our little girl on the wet floor and we went to the coldest room."

She added: "The door was buckling and the windows bubbling and cracking. It was terrifying."

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Elcock, who has lived Grenfell Tower for more than 20 years, said she phoned for help "almost 100 times."

Firefighters eventually rescued the family at around 3 a.m. local time on Wednesday (10 p.m. ET Tuesday), according to The Sun.

PHOTOS: Fire Rages Through London Tower

Authorities said Friday that least 30 people were killed in the fire and have warned that the death toll was likely to rise.

Police commander Stuart Cundy added: "We do not expect there to be any survivors."

Officials also warned that some victims may never be identified.

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