Joan Collins reveals she’s ‘lucky to be alive’ after fire at London flat
Hollywood icon Dame Joan Collins has said she’s lucky to be alive, after her husband Percy Gibson bravely fought the fire which engulfed part the couple’s home.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Collins, aged 85, described her hubby as ‘a hero’ after he used a fire extinguisher to fight a blaze which broke out at their London flat on 13 April.
The former Dynasty star said: “The thing is, if Percy hadn’t gone in with the extinguisher the entire flat would have been consumed by flames.
“What he did, in fact, was save the whole building. Percy’s a hero. I know a lot of guys who wouldn’t have gone in. He made a great sacrifice.
“And we’re lucky to be alive. I keep thinking: ‘What if we’d been asleep and hadn’t heard the alarm? What if we’d gone to a movie?’.”
Read more: Joan Collins flees London flat as sun on mirror sparks bathroom fire
Gibson, a 53-year-old film and theatre producer, said: “I couldn’t really see much, so I was spraying blindly. It was very hot, my eyes were stinging and I couldn’t breathe very well.
“It was overwhelming and terrifying because the smoke was acrid and cloying. I had to gasp for air.”
Firefighters say the blaze started after rays from the sun reflected off a mirror and onto some blinds. Crew manager Chucks Abili, who was at the scene, said: “These fires are not as rare as you think and this shows fires can happen in anyone’s home.
“At this time of year, the sun is low in the sky so the concentrated rays can set light to nearby items. We’ve seen fires caused by glass doorknobs, jars and bottles on sills, and hanging crystals.”
Read more: Joan Collins thanks firefighters after London apartment fire
After the incident, Collins took to social media to display her gratitude to those who helped fight the fire. She tweeted: “THANK U from the bottom of my heart to the marvelous @LondonFire who attended the terrifying fire. My hero Percy had already doused the flames consuming the entire wall with extinguisher.”
THANK U from the bottom of my ❤️ to the marvelous @LondonFire who attended to the terrifying fire yesterday in our flat. #threealarmfire My hero Percy had already doused the flames consuming the entire wall with handheld extinguisher (#donttakethisrisk). #gratitude #firefighters
— Joan Collins (@Joancollinsdbe) April 14, 2019
