A HERO father tore into a house to save a baby and a family from a raging fire.

Mick O’Beirne was out buying beer in Pinner Road, North Harrow, when he noticed a roof on fire in the flats above a shop just after 10pm on Saturday night.

The flames were jutting underneath the roof tiles of the same building and he quickly called the fire service.

The 38-year-old then began screaming and banging on one of the front doors to the two flats but decided to kick it down when nobody answered.

He and other bystanders ran upstairs without a second thought for his safety, and although there was no smoke in the corridor, it was getting hotter and hotter.

At the top of the stairs, he found a distressed mother with her three-month-old baby and quickly grabbed the infant from her hands and led her to safety.

The man who lives in the bottom-floor flat opened the door and was able to get out.

Firefighters have told him that had it not been for his heroic actions, the people in the building “may not be here today.”

He said: “A baby that young wouldn’t last long in the heat, so I grabbed the baby, and we herded the mother out of the house.

“I’m already quite big, so it wasn’t a problem, but when we went in there was no smoke or lights, and we banged on doors and shouted.

“It’s strange being treated as a hero and then spending my next day just cleaning the house on a Sunday afternoon.”

Mick, who lives in nearby Oxford Road, Harrow, and has three children, says his house which is near to the site of the fire was littered with ash and covered in smoke.

Mick's wife, Majella, said: "I would say that as soon as I saw the smoke and realised there was a fire, I knew he would be there helping, that's the kind of man he is.

"We are very proud and grateful everyone is safe."

Group Manager Tim Frost, who was at the fire, said: “We would like to praise Mr O’Beirne for his courageous actions.

“He saw the flames coming from the roof and forced the front door, without any concern for his safety, before assisting a man from the first floor flat and a woman and baby from the second floor.

“He did a tremendous job, and without his swift actions and quick thinking, this incident could have had a very different outcome.

“When crews arrived they gave first aid and tackled the fire which was swiftly brought under control and damage was mainly confined to the roof space.

“While what Mr O’Beirne did was brave, we want members of the public to stay safe and would always encourage people to call 999 first in the event they witness a  fire so we can get there a soon as possible.”

The second floor and the roof was destroyed in the fire.

In total, eight fire engines and around 60 fire fighters were called to battle the blaze at 10.09pm and the fire was under control at 12.37am.

Nobody was injured.

London Fire Brigade said: “The cause of the fire is under investigation.”