This is the moment a brave group of passers-by smash their way into a food shop engulfed by flames in a bid to rescue a man trapped inside. 

The heroic group could be seen desperately attempting to prize open the security shutter with batons. 

A furious fire could be seen burning through the gap as the men, as well as police officers, rushed to help the man inside Grocers Basket on Edgware Road. 

And just seconds later, the man could be seen crawling through the small gap as another person helped drag him away from the inferno.

Police and a large group surrounded the 36-year-old, who was barefoot and covered in ash and soot in the aftermath. 

Meanwhile, the flames crept up beneath the shutters and blazed against the storefront window in the early hours of Thursday morning. 

The fire tore through the food shop as well as both the first and second floor flats above, as firefighters rushed to cool a potentially explosive gas cylinder inside.  

A second video taken from further down the street showed droves of police officers and 40 firefighters descending on the scene. 

The 36-year-old man has since been taken to hospital where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, the Met has said. 

A police officer was also taken to hospital, and their injuries are also understood to be non-life-changing. 

Officers found the shop engulfed in an inferno after they were 'flagged down' by members of the public, and called firefighters and the ambulance service at 3.36am.  

A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: 'Most of the ground-floor shop and part of the first and second floors of the building were damaged by fire.

'Firefighters located a gas cylinder on the first floor and removed and cooled it to an ambient temperature as a precaution.'

A London Ambulance Service spokesman said: 'We sent a number of resources to the scene including ambulance crews, incident response officers, an advanced paramedic and a clinical team manager.

'We also dispatched paramedics from our hazardous area response team. We treated one patient and took them to hospital. We also assessed one other person and discharged them at the scene.'

A Met Police spokesperson said: 'On Thursday, 9 April at around 03:45hrs, police on patrol were flagged down to reports of a fire on Edgware Road, Paddington.

'On arrival, officers discovered a shop on fire with a 36-year-old man inside and alerted the London Ambulance Service and the London Fire Brigade, who both attended.

'Police entered the building to rescue the man. He was taken to hospital and his injuries have since been assessed as non-life-threatening or life-changing.

'While rescuing the man, a police officer was injured and taken to hospital. His injuries have also been deemed non-life-threatening or life-changing.' 

'The cause of the fire remains under investigation. There have been no arrests.'

The force has urged anyone with information to contact police on 101, quoting CAD902/09APR26.