A firefighter has suffered an “abhorrent” attack while responding to a blaze in a south London flat.
The emergency worker, and 24 colleagues, rushed to the property on Kensington Avenue, Thornton Heath, just after midnight on Monday, when the “shocking” assault took place, the Fire Brigade (LFB) said.
The brigade’s Deputy Commissioner Richard Mills said: “While attending a fire at a block of flats in Thornton Heath overnight, one of our firefighters was attacked by a man at the property.”
He added: “The firefighter was going into a building to fight a fire and potentially save lives and had it not been for his helmet, he would have sustained serious head injuries.
“Thankfully, he has been discharged from hospital.”
London mayor Sadiq Khan has called for the assailant to “face the full force of the law”.
He said: “I am shocked and appalled that a firefighter has been violently attacked while simply doing his job.
“Violence towards our emergency service workers will not be tolerated and those who carry out such attacks must face the full force of the law.”
Mr Mills echoed the mayor’s comments, saying: “This abhorrent and unprovoked attack on a firefighter is completely unacceptable, but during a global pandemic when all emergency services workers are going above and beyond to serve the public it is even more shocking."
He said the LFB would be helping the Metropolitan Police with their investigation into the incident.
The brigade said the cause of the fire, which left part of a flat on the first floor of the two-storey block damaged, is also being investigated.
