Eleven people have been taken to hospital after a fire broke out at a converted terraced house in the upmarket London neighbourhood of South Kensington.
Fifteen fire engines and about 100 firefighters were called to the fire at a terraced house converted into apartments on Emperor’s Gate, in west London, close to the Natural History Museum.
The London fire brigade posted on X that 11 people were treated for smoke inhalation. Around 160 people were moved from surrounding buildings after the blaze broke out at a five-storey converted terraced house. More than 100 people were later returned to their homes after being evacuated.
A London ambulance service spokesperson said the injured were taken to “London hospitals and major trauma centres”.
In total around 130 residents have been evacuated from the #SouthKensington property where the fire started & its neighbouring buildings.
— London Fire Brigade (@LondonFire) March 1, 2024
Around 11 people have been treated for smoke inhalation & taken to hospital by @Ldn_Ambulance https://t.co/RveUNI96Ri pic.twitter.com/lJGlPA9wzV
The service said 15 fire engines and about 100 firefighters attended the scene, where half of the ground floor of the building was alight.
“The fire has spread from the ground floor to the top floor and roof of the property”, Station Cmdr Steve Collins said.
“Crews are working extremely hard to contain the [fire] to stop it spreading to adjacent buildings.”
Ben King, brigade borough commander for Kensington and Chelsea, said it was “too early” to say what caused the fire.
During the incident, two people were rescued from a flat on the second floor using a 13.5-metre ladder, a further two were rescued from the fourth floor, and one person was removed from a first floor flat.
The first and second floors of the building were extensively damaged and the ground floor was partly damaged, the fire service said.
With Press Association and Agence France-Presse
