(Reuters) – A huge fire broke out in a five-storey residential building in Londons West Hampstead in the early hours of Thursday, forcing rescuers to evacuate dozens of people, and it took nearly four hours to douse the blaze, the London Fire Brigade said.
Firefighters tackle a blaze in a block of flats on fire in West Hampstead, London, England, July 26, 2018 in this picture obtained from social media. Matt Alis/via REUTERS
About 100 firefighters and 15 fire engines were tackling the blaze on Inglewood Road. Firefighters evacuated residents from the top floor due to concerns that the roof could collapse inward, fire brigade said bit.ly/2mHK4UP.
“The fire is believed to have started in a flat on the fourth floor,” fire brigade station manager Clainton Murray said.
“Fire crews assisted two people from the first floor and a number of other residents self evacuated from lower floors,” Murray said. “Around 50 residents used a local public house as a rest centre.”
The fire brigade was called in at 0104 a.m. (past midnight GMT) and the fire was under control by 0501 a.m., it said in a statement, adding that the cause of the fire was not known yet.
Neighbours took to social media to post photos and videos of the incident.
The London Ambulance Service have confirmed that no one was taken to hospital as a result of the incident, the fire brigade said.
Reporting by Subrat Patnaik in Bengaluru; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier
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