Eight fire engines and around 80 firefighters were called to a fire at a block of flats on Surrey Lane in Battersea.
Most of a four-roomed flat on the 16th floor of a 21 storey block of flats was destroyed by fire. Part of the communal area outside the flat was also destroyed in the blaze. Fire crews, wearing breathing apparatus, used fire escape hoods to lead one woman and one child to safety on the 16th floor. They were treated for smoke inhalation on scene by London Ambulance Service. Another woman and one child on the 20th floor were also led to safety by crews wearing breathing apparatus. A total of five people left the building before the Brigade arrived.
The Brigade’s 999 Control officers gave vital fire survival guidance to residents in flats on the 16th and 20th floors.
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 was called at 0354 and the fire was under control by 0508. Fire crews from Battersea, Chelsea, Clapham, Fulham, Wandsworth and Lambeth fire stations were in attendance.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Met police and the Brigade's fire investigation team.