A huge fire has been brought under control at a block of flights in London after 100 firefighters were seen tackling the blaze as shocked residents watched on.
Fire crews say half of a five-bedroom flat on the 15th floor of the block was on fire, with part of the roof also alight at the block in Bromley, South London. London Fire Brigade was first called to the blaze at 11.58am, with around 95 calls made about the "very visible" fire to its 999 control centre.
According to our sister site My London, 15 fire engines were on scene tackling the blaze at the height of the fire, which forced trains to run at a reduced speed in the nearby area. An update from LFB this afternoon said crews were making "steady progress", having brought the fire under control shortly after 4pm, and are expected to be on the scene for several hours dampening down the area.
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Around 120 people were evacuated from the building, and no injuries were reported. Fire crews now believe that half of the five-bedroom flat has been destroyed by fire, with damage to part of the roof too.
Videos posted to social media captured flames and plumes of black smoke rising from one part of a slanted roof. Another clip showed firefighters on top of the building, attempting to extinguish the flames.
A large cordon remains in place around the scene, with residents being diverted on longer routes to get to their homes. Guests at a Premier Inn next to the tower were evacuated and have been told they are likely to wait several hours to get back inside.
One guest, Jerome Smith, 22, said: " I was asleep, woke up, came out, my friend messaged me saying there was a fire and they evacuated everyone. My car is parked in the car park, so we're just waiting to get in. They're saying it's going to be a three-hour wait."
A man living near a tower fire in Bromley said he saw flames burning "ferociously" on the building. Rowland Leslie, 63, said: "I was just walking down to come to Bromley and I don't think it had started not long before that because the fire engines were just coming.
"Where there is the slant of the building there are balconies and flames were burning ferociously at the start. I have been in Bromley for over an hour and where I was it looked like the fire had been put out but in the last 20 minutes it looks like it must have started up again."
Station Commander Colin Digby, who is at the scene, said: "Crews are making steady progress. This is going to be a protracted incident and we expect our crews to be on scene for several hours to come."
A statement from LFB said: "Half of a five room flat on the 15th floor of a 17 storey block of flats is alight. Part of the roof is also on fire. It's a very visible fire and the Brigade's 999 Control centre has received 95 calls alerting them to the fire.
"Fire crews are using a 64 metre turntable ladder to tackle the fire. The Brigade was called at 1158 and is still on scene. Fire crews from Bromley, Beckenham, Addington, Woodside, Lewisham, Forest Hill, Sidcup and Croydon, Bexley, Orpington and Battersea fire stations."
The blaze comes two weeks after 60 firefighters battled a blaze at a high-rise block of flats in the west of the capital. Eight fire engines rushed to the scene in Shepherd's Bush, less than a mile away from Grenfell Tower, after an apartment block went up in flames. Two people were treated at the scene during that incident.
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