Rowe Court fire victim shares survival story ten months on

“It is not something that leaves you, it is something you deal with,” said a survivor of a major arson attack in Tilehurst, ten months on.

Joel Richards was one of 24 people in Rowe Court in Reading, who were forced to flee their home as it became engulfed in flames.

Arsonist Hakeem Kigundu was jailed for life today (Friday) at Reading Crown Court.

On the night of the fire (December 15, 2022) Mr Richards awoke suddenly to a neighbour shouting from outside, calling for residents to jump.

Mr Richards, a father of one, was alone in his flat on the night of the fire and awoke suddenly

In an interview with ITV he said: “I heard a guy downstairs shouting and I asked what’s going on. He said you need to jump.

“I said well there’s lots of people in the building, we need to try and save them. He said I don’t think you’ve got time.”

Mr Richards put a big coat on, got in the shower, soaked himself and headed into the hall to find others.

He said: “As I was going out I tripped on something. I thought oh what’s that? And straight away I kind of knew what it was. It was a body.”

He recalled kicking his neighbours door, finding two people inside and telling them to jump. Mr Richards said he saw the first jumper's legs break as he landed on the ground outside before calling for his pregnant wife to jump for him to catch.

Mr Richards then jumped and blacked out momentarily. “I remember lying there thinking I am not going to make this.

“I thought I was dead,” he said.

“His eviction was the catalyst to him doing all this,” he said talking about arsonist and former neighbour Hakeem Kigundu, who was told he would need to move out on December 15, the night of the fire.

“He just didn’t fit in. I did not think he would try to get revenge in this sort of way.

“He would walk past you and barge you for no reason at all.”

Looking back, the Rowe Court resident of five years, said he still gets flashbacks. “For four months I was waking up thinking I’m on fire.

“I can’t stand candles, petrol stations, the smell of petrol bothers me.

“I don’t know if I am going to get back to way I was.”

He commented on experiencing survivor’s guilt.

“I didn’t save Richard and I didn’t save Neil and I knew these two people,” he said.

“I was close to Richard.”

Looking at his hands, he said: “I should have lost all my pigment, you can still see the burns. Third degree burns.”

He was also burned on his face, ears and back of the head.