M&S Charlton 'major incident' as 30 people treated for 'carbon monoxide leak'
Police, firefighters and paramedics rushed to the scene in Charlton after the alarm was raised
A "major incident" has been declared in Charlton involving a suspected carbon monoxide leak at a branch of Marks and Spencer.
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Emergency services have been treating people at a store on Gallions Road in southeast London.
The London Ambulance Service (LAS) has now confirmed 30 people have been treated at the scene for chemical inhalation from the suspected leak, with 11 of them being taken to hospital.
Greenwich councillor David Gardner, who represents the Greenwich Peninsula ward, posted on social media: "There is a major incident this morning at M&S Charlton with people being treated for carbon monoxide poisoning. All three emergency services are in attendance, so best avoid the area until all clear."
Firefighters are working in coordination with paramedics and police to resolve the situation. Two fire engines and two rescue units, supported by specialist ambulance service teams are reported to have been at the scene.
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson told MyLondon: “Firefighters are currently at the scene of a suspected carbon monoxide incident at a shop on Gallions Road in Charlton.
“Crews are working alongside multi-agency partners to resolve the incident safely."
James Johnson, Strategic Commander for the London Ambulance Service, said: “We were called at 9.32am today (16 December) to reports of a suspected carbon monoxide incident on Gallions Road, Charlton.
“We sent a number of resources to the scene including ambulance crews, incident response officers, paramedics in fast response cars, advanced paramedics and paramedics from our hazardous area response team (HART)."
A Marks and Spencer spokesperson gave the following statement: “Our Charlton store is temporarily closed as we investigate an incident that happened earlier this morning, we hope to reopen as soon as possible.”