A caretaker insists he is not a hero, despite saving his mosque from a suspected arson attack.

Mohammad Kohelee, 62, rushed to put out the fire at the Greenwich Islamic Centre, at around 12.15am on Tuesday.

He was left with burns to his left arm and the side of his face after tackling the blaze, allegedly started by vandals who cut through a chain to break into the centre’s car park.

The caretaker said: “I was panicked but I wasn’t scared.

“I’d do it again. I won’t let people burn the mosque - kill me first.”

Mr Kohelee was in his room in the mosque when he heard noises from outside.

He said: “When I went down to check the main doors I couldn’t see anything.

“But then I smelt the smoke and saw it rising up.”

The grandfather-of-two called the fire brigade and said flames were coming through the door to one of the prayer rooms.

He said: “It was a big fire.

“The door of the room was open and the fire was coming through and the flames came up to my face, burning me.”

Mr Kohelee filled buckets of water and threw them at the blaze.

He said: “I went to shut the door to stop the fire coming into the room and that’s when I burned my arm.”

Choking on smoke and despite his injuries, Mr Kohelee rushed outside to where the fire was burning in a wooden outdoor prayer area.

The fire brigade quickly arrived and the caretaker was taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation and burns.

It is estimated around £10,000 worth of damage was caused to the mosque, which regularly attracts 4,000 people to Friday prayers.

Copies of Islam’s sacred text the Koran were also burned in the blaze.

Mosque secretary Abdul Hamid Ismail said: “It was very dangerous and could have been a disaster for us and him as well.

“He’s saved this place by being so daring.”

But Mr Kohelee said: “I am not a hero. God is my guardian.”

The caretaker has worked at the centre for 20 years and was hit with a hammer in the last serious attack on the mosque three years ago. Centre director Dr Tariq Abbasi said of the attack: “This is the fifth time its happened and nothing’s been done on the previous occasions.

“We’re talking about the scars to our faith community which have no monetary value.

“It’s like burning someone’s home down.”

He said: “We’ve turned this place into looking like a prison cell - all the windows have grills on them.

“But we don’t want to have such a fear. We shouldn’t be living under these circumstances.

“This is our pride, this is our place of worship.”

Police enquiries into the circumstances of the fire continue.

There have been no arrests.

Greenwich Borough Commander Richard Wood said: "I would like to reassure members of the community and those who worship at the Islamic centre that we have assigned a team of highly trained detectives to their case.

“We’re aware of the concerns of those who regularly use the mosque and those who live and work around the area.”

If you have any information call investigating officer Detective Sergeant Nigel Whiteley from Greenwich Police on 020 8284 9865.

By Mark Chandler