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Families today told of their dramatic escape from a fire which tore through a tower block after a barbecue lit on a balcony caused a motorbike to explode.

People were trapped in their homes in the upmarket seven storey tower block in Brixton as the blaze took hold at about 6.45pm yesterday.

Neighbours ran back in to help them get to safety as smoke and flames engulfed the building in Hicken Road.

Residents said the fire had started after a man took his motorbike up to his second floor flat because he feared it could be stolen.

Police today said they had arrested a man on suspicion of arson.

A 52 year-old neighbour said: “I saw a bit of the smoke, I looked out and the front door opened the gentleman came out with his two children who couldn’t be more than two or three years old.

“He asked me to phone for help and said he left his bike upstairs.

“My son went to ring the intercom to get other friends to evacuate the building because it was getting worse

“He said the motorbike was in the flat and it caught fire. His bike caught fire and that’s it - everything went up in minutes.

“There were babies and children soon all rushing out- I’m so glad everyone is safe.”

Suillbhain Martin, 18, managed to get his mother, who suffers from MS and is confined to a wheelchair, out of the burning building when he heard the first explosion two storeys above him.

He told the Standard: “I was just watching Mission Impossible in my bed and heard this banging and crashing upstairs I remember thinking I don’t remember this bit of the film and it was definitely too loud.

“There were people screaming ‘get out, get out’ from both sides of the building, we had no idea what was going on.

“I got my mum ready and ordered her out. There were screaming people sprinting down the stairs.

“The flames were just getting higher and higher.”

His mother Pamela told the Standard: “My son was brilliant I didn’t hear anything at all. He was screaming ‘Mama get in your wheelchair now this is serious’ he is an unsung hero.

“When he got me out I looked back up it looked like everything was going to burn up. There are people here who have lost everything.”

Some evacuated families were forced to sleep in the St Matthews Estate tenants community hall floor overnight while others were allowed back to their homes as firefighters made the building secure.

London Fire Brigade said ten engines and 72 firefighters and officers were sent to tackle the blaze, which was under control just over an hour after it started.

Station Manager Jason Jones said: “When firefighters arrived the fire was fully developed and very visible. The initial fire crews worked incredibly hard to fight the fire quickly and limit the damage internally. Thankfully there are no reports of any injuries.”

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “Police were called at 6.38hpm on Wednesday to reports of a fire at a block of flats in Hickin Road.

“Officers and the London Fire Brigade attended the scene.

“At this stage there are no reported injuries.

“A male was arrested close to the scene on suspicion of arson. He currently remains in custody at a south London police station pending further enquires.”