A father made a desperate telephone call to his wife as she tried to save their two children from the blaze which engulfed a tower block claiming the lives of six, including three children.

Dayana Cervi, 26, was trapped with her son Felipe, 3, and daughter Thais, 6, on the 11th floor of the burning building in Camberwell, south London.

Rafael Cervi was prevented from entering the building by firefighters but spoke to Dayana from his mobile phone.

“She said there was smoke coming under the door so I told her to go to the bathroom with the children because there is an extractor fan in there,” said Rafael. “I told her to stay calm.

“I spoke to her for the last time at 5.26pm. She said, ‘The smoke is coming in and Felipe is finding it hard to breathe. He’s scared’. I tried to call her again but she didn’t answer.”

The bodies of Dayana and Felipe have been identified and it is feared the corpse of Thais is yet to be recovered from the burnt-out building.

Police said the blaze was “potentially suspicious”.

The other victims were named yesterday as Helen Udoaka, 34, her baby daughter Michelle and Catherine Hickman, 31, a fashion designer.

Twelve other people were taken to hospital, including a fireman who was still receiving treatment last night. His injuries were thought to be minor.

Mark Bailey, a hair stylist, revealed yesterday that he had intended to propose to Hickman, his girlfriend of three years, on his return from a trip to America.

“I am not a religious person, but I was praying I’d get to see her to tell her I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her,” Bailey told The Sunday Times. “She knew that I loved her.”

Bailey said Hickman, who grew up on a farm in Hampshire, worked for a west London boutique designing and making dresses. “She would refashion or remodel beautiful vintage dresses,” he said.

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