These days retired firefighter Aldo Diana spends his time looking after his beloved pet pooches, making stained glass windows and planning his latest action adventure.
But last year on the night of June 14 Diana, a then crew manager in the London Fire Brigade, got the call to attend the deadly Grenfell Tower fire which took the lives of 72 people.
The former marine remembers that night and the feeling of disbelief when he first caught sight of the burning tower.
“You would never expect the outside of a building to burn and to go up as quickly as that one did,” he tells Insight, adding that in the 26 years he had been on the job he’d never witnessed a fire like that before.
Going in
Despite the difficult task the firefighters were faced with, Diana says he was happy to enter the building to help rescue the trapped residents.
“I’m glad I was on duty that night. I was glad I could give my skills on that night.”
The now 55-year-old says the firefighters used a central, emergency, spiral staircase to move throughout the building but describes visibility as non-existent.
“You couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. It was all touch.”
Working in pairs, Diana and his companion were given a task to search a specific flat for possible trapped, residents. But on their way they continually encountered others, some unconscious, in need of help.
“Because you’re wearing quite thick gloves you can’t feel for a pulse and because it’s thick smoke, you can’t really see any signs of life,” Diana tells Insight host, Jenny Brockie.
He recalls in the pitch black accidentally stepping on one person who let out a faint cough. When he and his partner knelt down they realised there were actually two people on the ground.
Each time the pair stumbled upon someone it was Diana’s decision as team leader as to whether there were signs of life to warrant carrying that person out to safety or to leave them and continue with their given task.
In every instance Diana made the decision to take the person out to safety.
A young Aldo Diana. He says he did everything he could on the night of the Grenfell fire. Photo: Supplied Source: Supplied
As they hurried in and out of the burning building the fire continued to rage.
“We’re hot, sweaty, covered in water cascading down,” Diana explains, saying he only left the building once his oxygen levels were too low for him to continue.
Diana and his partner never made it to the apartment building they were told to search. Instead they rescued nine other people, all of whom survived.
“I can say from working afterwards, that I found out that the floor I needed to get to and the flat I needed to search was empty,” he says.
“Luckily for me on that night and I suppose luckily for the people that we brought out, because all nine that we brought out survived so yes it was the right decision.”
The aftermath
While some have praised Diana as a hero for his actions on the night, he doesn’t view himself in that light.
“Every firefighter that was on duty that night, and even on the other watches, would’ve done exactly the same as what I did.”
Diana says there is some talk in UK that the actions of firefighters on that night is partly to blame for the 72 deaths.
“All the firefighters that night put their lives on the line to rescue other people,” he says, adding that everyone did the best job they could.
It’s been over a year since that night but Diana says the incident has stayed with him.
“I do still see Grenfell. I still see the visions from the rooms and stuff.”
“You go in and do a job and I did the job as best I can.”
