Dame Joan Collins accepts she is lucky to be alive after a “terrifying” blaze at her Belgravia flat .
The actress, 85, was at home when the fire broke out last Saturday.
It was sparked when strong sunlight reflected by a shaving mirror in her guest bathroom ignited a blind.
Husband Percy Gibson, 54, had battled the flames with a handheld extinguisher as firefighters dashed to their £3million home.
She may not have lived to tell the tale if her "hero" hubby hadn't taken matters into his own hands.
"The thing is, if Percy hadn't gone in with the extinguisher the entire flat would have been consumed by flames," the Dynasty star told the Daily Mail .
Joan Collins' husband used fire extinguisher in blaze that left star 'shaken'
"What he did, in fact, was save the whole building. Percy's a hero. I know a lot of guys who wouldn't have gone in. He made a great sacrifice.
"And we're lucky to be alive. I keep thinking: 'What if we'd been asleep and hadn't heard the alarm? What if we'd gone to a movie?'."
Firefighters warned others to be aware of the risk intense sunlight can pose.
Crew manager Chucks Abili, who was at the scene, said: “These fires are not as rare as you think and this shows fires can happen in anyone’s home.
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“At this time of year, the sun is low in the sky so the concentrated rays can set light to nearby items. We’ve seen fires caused by glass doorknobs, jars and bottles on sills, and hanging crystals.”
Joan has praised ambulance crews, the Met and London Fire Brigade for their responses.
One post on social media read: “THANK U from the bottom of my heart to the marvelous @LondonFire who attended the terrifying fire.”
She added: “My hero Percy had already doused the flames consuming the entire wall with extinguisher.”
