"Heroic - that's the only word I can use to describe their actions."
Islander Steve Apter, deputy commissioner of London Fire Brigade, has paid tribute to the incredible efforts of firefighters who risked their lives to tackle this week's horrific Grenfell Tower blaze and rescue those trapped inside.
In his first interview after coming off shift, Mr Apter, the former chief fire officer for the Isle of Wight, told the County Press how he had hugged fellow Island firefighter Stuart McDonald as he donned breathing apparatus and prepared to enter the burning building.
"Many of the firefighters were marking their names on their helmets before they went in. 
"They knew that building could collapse. At one point we had 104 firefighters in that building, or just outside. They all knew what they were walking into and not one of them questioned it," said Mr Apter.
His involvement started with a call at 1.15am on Wednesday, when he was told they were dealing with a fire of unprecedented scale.
"I spoken to firefighters who have been with the brigade for 40 years and even they had seen nothing like this," he said.
He described the blaze, which has claimed the lives of at least 17 people, as unprecedented, not only in scale, but also the speed with which it spread.
Watching footage as he worked to co-ordinate resources from the fire service HQ, Mr Apter said he could not believe what he was seeing.
"I thought that can't be the incident we're dealing with, that looks like it has been burning for days," he said.
After ensuring resources were in place to keep the rest of London safe, while huge numbers of firefighters were diverted to north Kensington, Mr Apter headed to the scene himself.
"When I drove around the corner and saw it with my own eyes for the first time, my first thought was of 9/11."
Firefighters worked tirelessly throughout the day to attempt to reach those trapped in the building, but by 7.30pm and with mounting concerns about the building's stability, Mr Apter was involved in making the difficult decision to order a tactical withdrawal.
"The incident commander made the decision with my full support. At that point it was a really difficult decision. We knew there were still people in there."
Yesterday the operation switched from rescue to recovery, with specialist emergency services working through the building - "trying to identify all those affected."
Mr Apter, who yesterday met with Prime Minister Theresa May and leader of the opposition Jeremy Corbyn at the scene, said he was "extremely proud" of the efforts of his colleagues.
Businesses, organisations, and individuals across the Island are collecting donations for those affected by the fire. Find out more here.