A spectacular fire.
Eleven people were taken to hospital and around 130 evacuated following a massive fire which broke out in a residential building in South Kensington, London, very early on Friday, firefighters reported.
Half of the ground floor of a five storey building is alight.
Around 15 people left the property in #SouthKensington before the Brigade arrived.
https://t.co/RveUNI96Ri pic.twitter.com/QhM6lgNeWQ
— London Fire Brigade (@LondonFire) March 1, 2024
The fire hit a terraced house converted into apartments in the southwest of the British capital, near the Natural History Museum in London.
Known as the French Quarter of London, this upscale neighborhood brings together the French Embassy, the French Consulate, the French Institute and the French Lycée, earning it the nickname “frog valley”.
Fifteen trucks and around a hundred firefighters were called to respond to the fire.
When help arrived, half of the ground floor of the five-story building was already engulfed in flames, according to London firefighters, and around fifteen people had already fled.
Hospitalizations for smoke inhalation
“The fire spread from the ground floor to the highest floor and the roof.
Crews are working hard to contain it and prevent the fire from spreading to adjacent buildings,” said Steve Collins, a fire official at the scene.
The brigade was called shortly after midnight and the fire was brought under control around 4:40 a.m.
Fifteen fire engines and around 100 firefighters have been called to a fire at a terraced house converted into flats on Emperor's Gate in South Kensington.
Half of the ground floor of the five storey building is alight.
#London #Fire #EmperorsGate #SouthKensington pic.twitter.com/B2HFp1GFWX
— shivanshu tiwari (@shivanshu7253) March 1, 2024
Five people were rescued using ladders and around 130 residents evacuated from the building and neighboring buildings.
“Approximately 11 people were treated for smoke inhalation and taken to hospital,” firefighters added.
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea said evacuated residents are being housed in a nearby hotel, according to the Independent.
“We are on the ground providing support and accommodation to affected residents,” said Deputy Chief Councilor Kim Taylor-Smith.
“I would also like to thank the emergency services for the incredible work they did in very difficult conditions, as well as the municipality staff who sprang into action in the middle of the night,” she said. added.