Fire erupts on 20th floor of London high-rise, injuring 2

London, October 13

A fire erupted on the 20th floor of an apartment building in southwest London on Tuesday evening, causing dozens of residents, including children in pyjamas, to flee the tower and injuring one woman and a child, authorities said.

The London Fire Brigade said 70 firefighters and 10 fire engines rushed to the high-rise building in the Battersea area and had brought the blaze under control.

Three people fled the affected apartment, while 50 others left the building before fire crews arrived shortly after 8 pm, it said.

London ambulance crews took a woman and a child to the hospital for treatment.

“Crews were faced with a lot of smoke issuing from the top of a block of flats on arrival,” station commander Pete Johnson said.

“There was also lots of visible flame, which has prompted a high number of calls to our control officers.” Photos from the scene showed flames from the top of the building and a dark plume of smoke drifting into the sky.

“I heard a bang and glass smashing. I went out and saw there was glass on the floor. Then I heard a bang and looked up and saw fire,” student Ishika Deb, who lives in a neighbouring apartment building, told reporters.

The fire brigade said the cause of the blaze was not yet known. — AP

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