Large fire tears through London flats with 11 people taken to hospital

A total of 11 people have been rushed to hospital after a large fire broke out at a converted terrace house in west London.

Emergency services were called to the scene at a five-storey townhouse in South Kensington at around 12.30am.

They arrived to find half of the building’s ground floor alight, and 130 people were evacuated from the property itself and the surrounding area.

London Fire Brigade (LFB) declared that the fire at Emperor’s Gate, near Gloucester Road tube station, was ‘under control’ at around 4.40am.

Smoke could still be seen pouring from the roof of the house as the sun rose over the capital this morning, with crews continuing to hose water over it.

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said 11 people had been treated on scene before they were taken to ‘London hospitals and major trauma centres’.

They had been affected by smoke inhalation, LFB added.

The service said 15 fire engines and about 100 firefighters have helped to battle the blaze through the night.

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

Around 100 firefighters were sent to tackle the intense blaze (Picture: London Fire Brigade)

Crews used a turntable ladder to reach people trapped on the fourth floor (Picture: Amie-Beth Steadman)

The fire was under control by 4.40am, the brigade said, although crews remain on the scene (Picture: London Fire Brigade)

LFB 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.’

The cause of the fire is not yet known.

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