Stranger helps minicab driver from burning car in Welling
- Published
Abdul Awal was initially reluctant to leave his car
The daughter of a cab driver who was helped from a burning car has thanked a stranger for saving her father's life.
Abdul Awal, 58, was driving his Mercedes on Bellegrove Road in Welling, south-east London, when a man shopping nearby spotted flames and called the fire brigade.
Mr Awal, who has hearing issues, was initially reluctant to leave the car as he thought the stranger wanted a fight.
"This is how humanity should aim to be," daughter Iffath Nowrin said.
"If more people were like this, the world would be a better place."
Mr Awal had been returning from a petrol station early on Wednesday afternoon when his car started to overheat.
Some bystanders were filming on their phones, Iffath Nowrin says
The man who helped, who wishes to remain anonymous, was at a Nisa Local when he alerted the authorities to a fire under the bonnet of a car.
Mr Awal continued driving the vehicle, which by now was on fire, so the stranger sprinted towards Mr Awal's minicab, repeatedly knocked on his window and encouraged him to pull over and leave the car somewhere safe.
Eventually, the stranger, who is in his 30s, grabbed Mr Awal's arm to help move him away from the vehicle towards safety, before the fire brigade arrived to extinguish the fire.
Iffath Nowrin and her parents are practising Muslims and believe the stranger may have been sent down by God
"You have to physically touch him to get his attention," Mrs Nowrin told the BBC. "The whole world could be up in flames and he'd continue what he's doing.
"The fact he went over and spoke to my dad who was so unresponsive - people are saying, 'You're so lucky this stranger came over to help you.'
"If I saw fire, I wouldn't go towards it.
"I wish more people were like him - everybody else there was playing football or filming on their phones, compared to one guy who genuinely actually concerned about my dad's health.
"I am so, so grateful that there are people like this that exist."
Firefighters said they received 11 calls about the blaze
The family are practising Muslims and believe the stranger may have been sent down by God as an angel to save Mr Awal, who ended up covered in soot.
"It's an absolute miracle he was untouched," Ms Nowrin added. "It's so unbelievable as it was really hot and smoky.
"People in London would often walk on by.
"He's literally a lifesaver - a random guy who came out for a random person and saved him. I am so, so grateful.
"He gained nothing out of this and he didn't hesitate to do it."