A MARTIAL arts fighter who pulled a disabled man out of a burning car seconds before it exploded says he is no hero.

George Perad was driving down Green Dragon Lane, in Winchmore Hill, on Saturday afternoon when he saw a man struggling in a Chrysler.

The 32-year-old, who heading to the shops with his girlfriend, pulled over to see if he could help and realised the man's Chrysler was on fire.

Realising the man had only one leg and could not get himself out, Mr Perad dragged him out of the car before it exploded 30 seconds later.

Mr Perad, who works for Barnet Council but is also a semi-pro MMA fighter, said: “He had opened the driver door into the road as we drove past, I had to swerve and avoid it.

“I looked back and saw him struggling, so I stopped the car to see if I could help. Then I saw the back seat was on fire.

“He was probably between 70 and 75, he was quite elderly. I shouted ‘get away from the car’, but another person, a lady standing nearby, shouted ‘he’s only got one leg’.

“I ran over and pulled him out, seconds later it all went up.”

Mr Perad, from Southgate, also said despite a near death experience, the driver had other things on his mind as he saw his car turning into a fireball.

He said: “People were coming up and shaking my hand, not the old bloke though, he was just talking about what car he was going to get next.

“It was a really nice car. He was on about getting a Bentley next.”

Mr Perad says he is not a hero, claiming is “head is big enough already” and hopes others would have done the same in a similar situation.

He added: “My first reaction was just get away from there, but then I thought, ‘If this is how I go, then that’s ok, I’m doing the right thing’.

“I’d like to think anyone else would have done the same thing, bitten the bullet and helped this guy.”

London Fire Brigade were called at 1.36pm on Saturday to Green Dragon Lane, and they came with two engines and 10 firefighters, who had the fire under control by 2.10pm.

The car was destroyed and the cause of the fire is under investigation.