Eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters were called to a flat fire on Grantham Road in Stockwell.
Half of a five-roomed maisonette across the 13th and 14th floors of the building was damaged by fire. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used fire escape hoods to rescue one woman from a flat on the 13th floor and a man from a flat on the 15th floor. They were both treated on scene by London Ambulance Service crews after suffering from smoke inhalation and the man was taken to hospital.
Fire escape hoods provide members of the public with up to 15 minutes protection from four of the main fire gases (carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen chloride and acrolein) and can be worn by conscious or unconscious people. If more than 15 minutes protection is required then another hood can be given to each wearer. They do not provide oxygen but temporarily filter toxic smoke to make breathing easier.
The Brigade’s 999 Control Officers took 10 calls to the blaze.
The Brigade was called at 1938 and the fire was under control by 2040. Fire crews from Clapham, Lambeth, Battersea, Peckham and surrounding fire stations attended the scene.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.