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Eleven people were taken to hospital after a fire broke out at a terraced house in London’s upscale South Kensington area.
Around 130 people were evacuated after a fire broke out on the first floor of a converted Emperor’s Gate property just after midnight on Friday.
London Fire Brigade said the fire quickly spread to the top floor and roof of the building, and 15 fire engines and 100 firefighters were dispatched.
Firefighters rescued two people from the second-floor apartment, one from the first-floor apartment, and two from the fourth-floor apartment.
Firefighters are battling a fire inside a terraced house in South Kensington.
(London Fire Brigade)
Dramatic photos showed flames rising from the roof of the building as water jets were fired onto the burning roof.
Posting on X, the London Fire Brigade said 11 people were given smoke protection at the scene before being taken to “London hospitals and major trauma centres”.
“The fire spread from the ground floor to the top floor and rooftop of the property. Crews worked diligently to contain (the fire) to prevent it from spreading to adjacent buildings,” Chief Steve Collins said.
Eleven people were taken to the hospital and more than 130 people were evacuated from the building.
(London Fire Brigade)
“Motorists are advised to avoid the area as road closures are in place and are likely to continue into the morning rush hour. However, rail services are unaffected and will run as normal. .”
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea said council staff were assisting residents at a nearby hotel where they were being sheltered.
Deputy Leader Councilor Kim Taylor-Smith said: “We are on site providing support and accommodation to affected residents.
“I would also like to thank the emergency services who did a fantastic job in extremely difficult circumstances and the council staff who sprung into action in the middle of the night.”
London Fire Brigade said the fire was called at 12:31 a.m. and the fire was extinguished by 4:40 a.m. Fire brigades from Kensington, Fulham, Battersea, Hammersmith, Chelsea, North Kensington and surrounding fire stations attended.
London Ambulance Service sent a helicopter, paramedics, response vehicle paramedics, advanced paramedics, operations managers and members of the Hazardous Area Response Team to the scene.
“We treated 11 patients and transported them to hospitals and major trauma centers in London,” the spokesperson said.
Cromwell Road was closed between Ashburn Place and Gloucester Road on Friday morning and emergency services were called to the scene.
The cause of the fire is not yet known.