Joan Collins went through a distressing ordeal on Saturday after discovering that a fire had erupted in the London home she shares with husband Percy Gibson.
“The fire broke out yesterday. They were both in the apartment. Joan smelt some smoke and Percy went out to investigate. They discovered that the guest suite was on fire,” a rep for the actress, 85, tells PEOPLE.
“Percy had two of those fire extinguishers in the apartment so he rushed in to start putting the fire out and Joan called for the fire brigade to come,” the rep says, adding that by the time the authorities arrived, “Percy had kind of controlled most of the fire.”
Fortunately, both Collins and Gibson were not injured by the blaze.
“They escaped the fire unhurt, but obviously shaken up and distressed from the whole thing,” her rep shares. “Percy really saved the day. He was the one who put the fire out and took control until the fire brigade arrived.”
Collins’ rep went on to share that the couple is doing “better today” and will be returning to their apartment “to see exactly what damage has been done and how they can put everything back together again.”
RELATED: Joan Collins Says Consent Culture Is ‘Out of Control’ After ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’ Controversy
Addressing the incident in a series of tweets on Sunday, Collins gave thanks to everybody who helped respond to the emergency — including her husband of 17 years.
“THANK U from the bottom of my to the marvelous @LondonFire who attended to the terrifying fire yesterday in our flat. #threealarmfire,” she wrote.
“My hero Percy had already doused the flames consuming the entire wall with handheld extinguisher,” she added, before warning others not to “take this risk.”
In a separate tweet, Collins wrote: “And thanks also to the @NHSEnglandLDN #nhs #emt #Ambulance crew who took care of our smoke inhalation and comforted me. And the wonderful @metpoliceuk who kept the street closed and everyone safe. #gratitude”
THANK U from the bottom of my ❤️ to the marvelous @LondonFire who attended to the terrifying fire yesterday in our flat. #threealarmfire My hero Percy had already doused the flames consuming the entire wall with handheld extinguisher (#donttakethisrisk). #gratitude #firefighters
— Joan Collins (@Joancollinsdbe) April 14, 2019
And thanks also to the @NHSEnglandLDN #nhs #emt #Ambulance crew who took care of our smoke inhalation and comforted me. And the wonderful @metpoliceuk who kept the street closed and everyone safe. #gratitude
— Joan Collins (@Joancollinsdbe) April 14, 2019
According to the BBC, the London Fire Brigade said they were called to respond to a seven-story building in Central London at about 4:30 p.m. local time.
About 10 firefighters responded to the call, and just over an hour later, the blaze was extinguished, the outlet reported.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman told the outlet that the fire has been deemed non-suspicious.