A woman who witnessed two men being rescued from the roof of a burning building said the firemen did an “outstanding” job.

Amy Palliser, of Greenham Road, Muswell Hill, lives across the street from a terraced house which was partly destroyed by a blaze at around 1.30am on New Year’s Eve.

She said the two men inside the house were rescued thanks to the quick response of firemen from the London Fire Brigade.

Mrs Palliser said: “We woke up to the sound of fire engines and we looked out the window and saw two men on the roof of the house opposite.

“There was a lot of smoke and their faces were covered with black soot but the firemen acted really quickly to save them.

“The firemen did their jobs with such precision and that was the really impressive thing – it was outstanding.”

The two men were taken to hospital after suffering from the effects of breathing in smoke.

Mrs Palliser added: “I feel bad for the people who own the house but they should thank the firemen for saving it because it could have been completely destroyed.”

London Fire Brigade said it was investigating the cause of the fire, which destroyed the basement and damaged two floors and the loft.