Grenfell Survivors Have Revealed How They Escaped From The 22nd Floor

Two cousins who are believed to be the last survivors to leave Grenfell Tower have revealed exactly what happened.

Naomi Li, 32, and Lydia Liao, 23, were inside their flat on the 22nd floor when they smelt smoke. They were just about to go to bed.

Immediately, they rang 999 and were told to stay inside the flat as a fire had broken out in their building. The women were invited into another flat on the same floor as there was still some clean air in that property.

Eventually, the women decided that they were going to try and leave the building. Her neighbours decided to stay. They were apparently screaming and praying as they left the flat.

Naomi rang her husband, Lee Li-Chapman, 29, who was away on business and said: "We are going down, but I don't know if we will make it or not. I love you."

The women took one last breath of clean air from the window before wrapping wet towels and clothing around their faces. They then felt their way down the stairwell. On their way down, they stumbled upon people's bodies, but convinced themselves that they were just piles of clothes so that they 'wouldn't be paralysed with fear'.

Speaking to the Sunday Times, Naomi said: "I count myself lucky every day.

"I will always be haunted by the images I saw that night."

They managed to make it down to the fifth or sixth floor before they were helped by firefighters.

She said: "I think we were some of the last people to come out by foot that night. Most people after us were being taken out on stretchers. Thirty seconds or a minute later and I don't think we would have made it."

The pair were treated for smoke inhalation, before Naomi rang her husband to let him know that they were safe.

Friends have started a JustGiving page to help replace Naomi's belongings and those of her husband.

The friends wrote: "Whilst we are incredibly grateful that both of them are unhurt; their home has been destroyed by the fire, along with all of their possessions, sentimental items and physical memories. We know that it will be incredibly difficult to rebuild their lives following this tragedy."

At the time of writing, £9,000 has been raised.

Topics: Grenfell Tower, Fire, London

Mel Ramsay

Mel Ramsay has been a Senior Journalist for Tyla and LADbible since 2015. She started her career writing obituaries and funeral guides online. Since then, her work has been published in a wide variety of national and local news sites. She is part of the BBC's Generation project and has spoken about young people, politics and mental health on television, radio and online. Contact her - [email protected]

@melramsay_