Terrified residents were forced to flee their Notting Hill homes in the middle of the night after part of their roof dramatically collapsed.
Twelve people evacuated the three terraced homes on McGregor Road, west London, at around 1am on Wednesday after the front gable end of the roof crumbled onto the pavement.
Rubble was scattered across the ground and front gardens of the properties as two fire engines and dozens of firefighters rushed to the quiet road to rescue trapped residents.
Grandmother-of-six Lorna Sweeting thought a car had crashed into her building after waking up and hearing a “horrendous bang”.
“I told my husband to wake up and then we heard the most horrendous bang. I thought it was a car crashing into us,” she told The Independent.
“We have no idea what caused it. We just wanted to get out but we couldn’t. If we opened the [front] gate more rubble fell down.”
Covered in dust and “terrified”, the 59-year-old was eventually rescued by a firefighter and taken to the Kensington Hilton where she spent the night.
Ali Sisse, 20, who had just returned home from work minutes before the collapse said it was like being rocked by an earthquake as his bedroom shook.
He said: “Everything was shaking for five seconds. I just went to grab my kitten Luna she was terrified. She is ok now.
“It could have happened anytime if I missed my bus on the way home I would be dead. It’s by God’s grace I’m alive. I tried to knock every door and get everyone out. There are lots of older people who live there who were stuck.”
The last resident to be rescued, who had lived in the ground floor flat for 20 years, told neighbours he slept through the collapse because of his double doors.
Footage showed him being helped up a set of stairs that were covered in dust and broken bricks. Firefighters were visibly shocked he was still inside after being told they were cleared.
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea said no one was injured and it was supporting those evacuated with temporary accommodation.
A spokesperson said: “We were alerted to a possible roof collapse in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Officers immediately rushed to the scene to assess the incident and establish if residents needed support from the Council.
“Thankfully no one was injured and we provided accommodation and refreshments for residents who needed somewhere to stay.
“Our structural engineers and building control team were on site very early this morning and are assessing the structures.
“We anticipate disruption in the local area, including road closures, throughout the day. We’re grateful to the swift work of the emergency services.”
London Fire Brigade assistant commissioner Pat Goulbourne added: “The first of our fire engines were on scene within three minutes of being notified about this incident.
“The crews were the first emergency responders to arrive and quickly set about determining whether anyone was still inside the properties.
“The majority of residents who were still inside were brought to safety by crews via an internal staircase.
“One person, whose home was on the lower ground floor, saw their exit blocked by rubble so firefighters used a ladder to bring them to street level.”
