Firefighters led seven people, including a child, to safety after a flat fire on Buckingham Palace Road in Westminster.
Part of a five-roomed flat on the first floor of the building was damaged by fire. A small part of a first-floor communal hallway was also damaged by the blaze. Seven people left the building before the Brigade arrived. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus led a further six adults and a child to safety via an internal staircase using fire escape hoods. Eleven people were treated on scene by London Ambulance Service crews after suffering from smoke inhalation and another adult and a child were 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 six calls to the blaze and gave vital fire survival guidance to residents inside the building on how to stay safe before firefighters arrived. This included stopping smoke entering their flats using blankets and towels, moving to a room with an open window and staying low to the ground.
The Brigade was called at 0511 and the fire was under control by 0649. Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters from Lambeth, Chelsea, Soho and Kensington fire stations attended the scene.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.