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‘Everybody in the truck was in shock’ – Irish firefighter was among first on scene at Grenfell Tower inferno

AN Irishman who was one of the first firefighters to enter the Grenfell Tower inferno has shared his harrowing account of the blaze.

Damian Magee, who is originally from Dublin, was on shift when the first 999 calls registered around 1am early on Wednesday morning, June 14.

Mr Magee, who is a crew chief at Whitechapel Fire Station in East London, say he felt helpless as he watched the flames engulf those trapped in the 24-storey tower.

In a gut-wrenching interview with Sky News, the Irishman described the scene that confronted him and his colleagues as a “war zone”.

“We were hoping it was a building site, a new-build that was going up, because we couldn’t believe what we were seeing and we were miles and miles away," he said.

“We heard the children screaming, I can remember one kid’s voice that was higher pitched than all the others. Screaming, screaming for help.

“They probably had some sort of hope when they saw us firefighters down there, for us to get in and help them.”

Mr Magee recalled a heartbreaking conversation he had with a five-year-old boy who was descending the stairs of the building with his badly injured mother.

"A little boy, really little, came down the stairs with his mother who was in a really bad way," he said. "He seemed ok, very calm. Lovely little fella, about five years old.

"We asked him 'We need to know what number flat were you in? Is there anyone else in that flat?'

"And he turned around and looked at me and said 'My brother but he's dead’."

Mr Magee said the scene inside Grenfell Tower was like nothing he had seen before in his 20-year firefighting career.

He praised his fellow firefighters for giving their all to save as many people as they could despite the unprecedented conditions.

"When they were coming down the stairs they were nearly on fire, they were completely exhausted.

"The temperatures were killing them. That building you've also seen on TV engulfed in flames, we were all inside that building,” he said.

"The crews that were ahead of me were upstairs going into floors without water, simply looking around and trying to do their best, kicking in doors and trying to get people out.”

“Everybody in the truck was just in shock. I watched people die and I know they were looking at us to save them.

"It breaks your heart. You just feel useless and helpless.”