Huge blaze breaks out in west London flat with eleven residents rushed to hospital

1 March 2024, 05:27 | Updated: 1 March 2024, 10:51

By Kieran Kelly

@kellyjourno

Eleven people have been taken to hospital after a fire broke out at a converted terraced house in South Kensington in west London.

The London Fire Brigade rushed to the five-storey building on Emperor's Gate shortly after midnight on Friday morning.

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said 11 people were treated on scene before being taken to "London hospitals and major trauma centres".

Those who were injured were treated for smoke inhalation.

The service said 15 fire engines and about 100 firefighters attended the scene, where half of the ground floor of the building was alight.

Around 15 people left the building before firefighters arrived, with around 130 people in total evacuated from the property where the fire started and its neighbouring buildings.

The brigade said two people were rescued from a second floor flat, one person was rescued from a first floor flat and another two were rescued from a flat on the fourth floor.

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Station Commander Steve Collins said: "The fire has spread from the ground floor to the top floor and roof of the property. "Crews are working extremely hard to contain the (fire) to stop it spreading to adjacent buildings.

"Road closures are in place and likely to remain well into the morning rush hour so motorists are advised to avoid the area. However, there is no impact on rail services and they will be running as normal."

Emergency services remain at the scene.

The cause of the fire is not yet known.