London fire: Miracle of four-year-old girl who was caught by hero after being thrown from the Grenfell tower

Clutching the little girl to his chest and looking up at the inferno raging above, this is a Grenfell Tower hero seconds after he caught a four-year-old thrown from a window 50ft above.

The shell-shocked child survived the fall from the fifth floor after her neighbour, named only as Pat, plucked her from the sky "like a rugby ball".

A witness said he then tucked her "into his chest" and cuddled the little girl as they sheltered from falling debris under a tree, reports Daily Mail.

As the little girl closed her eyes her saviour is shown staring up at the fire above, which consumed the entire 27-storey west London tower in minutes on Wednesday morning.

Tragically the four-year-old's mother is feared to be among those who perished in the Grenfell Tower disaster, which is believed to have claimed more than 100 lives.

The little girl was treated by paramedics at the scene and Pat was taken to hospital, according to the Mirror.

Resident Kadelia Woods, 20, said: "The mum had the little girl's head wrapped in a towel and was holding her out of the window and was screaming for help. The fire was raging like crazy. It was about 2am and the flat was filled with smoke.

"Pat was calling: 'Drop her, I'll catch her'. The mum was screaming: 'No, no, I can't!"

"Pat kept reassuring her and then the girl dropped.

"Everyone's hearts stopped but Pat managed to catch her like a rugby ball tucked into his chest."

Tragedy: The Grenfell Tower disaster is believed to have claimed more than 100 lives - making it one of Britain's worst disasters. Photo / AP

Pat's catch is one of many acts of great heroism that have emerged in the aftermath of the worst fire in Britain for decades.

A baby who was thrown from the burning building is also thought to have survived unharmed after being caught by an anonymous member of the public.

Samira Lamrani, an eyewitness at the scene, said she witnessed a man run forward to catch the child after a woman on the ninth or 10th floor indicated she wanted to drop it out of harm's way.

She said: "A woman was gesturing like she was about to throw her baby, if somebody could catch her baby.

"And somebody did and a member of the public, a gentleman, ran forward and managed to grab the baby."

Ms Lamrani said she believed the child survived unharmed.

Another resident, named Zara, told LBC radio that she had seen a woman throw a child out of the window from the fifth or sixth floor.

She said: "One woman actually threw her son out of the window. I think he's OK.

"I think he might have just had some broken bones and bruises."

A Grenfell Tower resident told Sky News of how he was able to get his family to safety after rushing them past the blaze a few floors below.

The man, named Michael, said he had not been woken up by the building's alarm systems.

He said: "I was in bed, I was on the verge of falling asleep, and I smelled plastic.

"I got up, I looked around the flat, checked the plugs: everything was okay.

"I went to the kitchen to smoke a cigarette, I've opened the window and I heard some woman saying: 'It's getting bigger! It's getting bigger!'."

Michael said he grabbed his daughter and girlfriend and escorted them out of the building in his underwear before being supplied with clothes and a dressing gown by neighbours.

The official death toll now stands at 30, although it is feared that number will rise significantly once workers have gone through the whole building.

Sky News reported that sources had told them 70 people are missing and feared dead.

How MailOnline readers can donate to a charity helping the Grenfell Tower fire victims

The Grenfell Tower fire has prompted an extraordinary outpouring of support from Britons as they try to help the victims both financially and with gifts of food, clothing and other essentials.

And MailOnline readers can donate to a charity co-ordinating efforts to help those whose lives were devastated by clicking here.

The money will go to the Kensington & Chelsea Foundation, the company's local charity partner.

The foundation is coordinating a major funding appeal with support from London Funders and the London Emergency Trust Fund, and has set up a donation page on its website.

Every penny raised on the site will go directly to charities funding the relief effort in the local community, both for those who lost loved-ones and those who lost their homes and all their possessions.

Readers can also donate via cheque. Please make cheques payable to 'The Kensington & Chelsea Foundation' and send to: Grenfell Tower Appeal, The Kensington & Chelsea Foundation, 111-117 Lancaster Road, London W11 1QT.

The gutted block is just over a mile from the MailOnline and Daily Mail offices in Kensington, West London, known as Northcliffe House.

Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT) chairman Lord Rothermere and chief executive Paul Zwillenberg last night announced a £100,000 donation to the charity.