A woman and a child have been taken to hospital following a blaze in a block of flats in Battersea in southwest London that saw 70 firefighters and 10 fire engines called to the scene, London Fire Brigade (LFB) has said.
The fire and rescue service said on Tuesday night that it had sent firefighters to Westbridge Road, Battersea, as images shared online showed flames peeling from the top of the block and a dark plume of smoke drifting into the sky.
It added that a flat on the 20th floor of the building was alight and one woman was assessed for smoke inhalation when firefighters arrived at the scene.
Three people in total left the affected flat, while a further 50 people also chose to flee the building before fire crews arrived, LFB said.
“Crews were faced with a lot of smoke issuing from the top of a block of flats on arrival,” Pete Johnson, a station commander for LFB who was at the scene, said.
“There was also lots of visible flame which has prompted a high number of calls to our Control Officers.
“Firefighters worked quickly to bring the fire under control.”
An LFB spokesperson added that the cause of the fire was not known at this stage but the blaze had been brought under control at 8.53pm.
Ishika Deb, a 20-year-old student who lives in a neighbouring block of flats, said that she heard a “bang and glass smashing” at the time of the incident.
“I went out and saw there was glass on the floor. Then I heard a bang and looked up and saw fire,” Ms Deb said.
LFB’s 999 Control Officers took 18 calls over the incident, with fire crews from Battersea, Fulham, Wandsworth, North Kensington and surrounding fire stations called to the scene.
Additional reporting by PA
