- Written by Samantha Jagger & PA Media
- bbc news
image source, london fire brigade
Approximately 170 people were evacuated from the building and nearby grounds.
Eleven people were taken to hospital after a fire broke out in a five-storey building in London.
About 170 people were evacuated from Emperor’s Gate in South Kensington after the fire spread from the first floor of the apartment building just after midnight.
London Fire Brigade (LFB) said the fire, which spread to the roof of the building, is now under control.
The people taken to the hospital were treated for smoke inhalation, the statement said.
“Incredibly challenging”
According to the LFB, 15 fire engines and about 100 firefighters arrived at the scene and found half of the first floor of the building on fire.
Two people were rescued from an apartment on the second floor, one from an apartment on the first floor, and two from an apartment on the fourth floor.
Borough Commander Ben King said the fire started at 12:31 a.m. local time and described conditions as “incredibly difficult”.
“Our crews have acted with the utmost professionalism, as you can imagine, and London deserves, and have carried out numerous rescues,” he said.
Five people were rescued from the building after the fire spread.
Mr King said the blaze had become “very serious” and was a “dynamic incident” for the service to deal with.
Station manager Steve Collins added that crews worked extremely hard to stop the fire from spreading to adjacent buildings.
Borough Commander Ben King described the fire as “incredibly difficult”.
Fire officials announced around 5:30 a.m. that the fire was under control.
King said the building’s roof was “significantly damaged” and the first floor and adjacent building were also damaged.
The service said some residents had been returned to their homes.
The cause of the fire is not yet known and police said they would remain at the scene until at least Friday afternoon.
The whole building is on fire
Arnis, one of those evacuated, said the fire was “pretty scary.”
He said he saw a “small fire” on the first floor and people were trying to put it out using fire extinguishers.
“They broke the window and then the fire spread quickly…the fire came out of the window,” Arnis explained.
“Fourteen minutes later the whole building was on fire,” he added.
image source, london fire brigade
The fire spread from the first floor of the apartment just after midnight.
on site
It’s raining here in south Kensington.
Firefighters continued to use turntable ladders to extinguish the fire, which is now under control.
Police are also heavily deployed, with roads blocked in all directions and buses being diverted.
Dozens of tired-looking firefighters receive hot drinks from a Salvation Army van off the street.
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea said city staff were providing support and shelter to those affected in a nearby hotel.
Councilor Kim Taylor-Smith, deputy leader, thanked emergency services for their “fantastic work under extremely difficult circumstances” and for city staff “swinging into action in the middle of the night”.