Fire in Shadwell apartments: Residents flee tower as flames spread

Residents were forced to flee a London tower block where a fire ripped through a 14th floor flat.

Flames could be seen spreading across the block and more than 65 members of the public called 999.

Twelve fire engines and around 80 firefighters rushed to tackle the blaze at Hindmarsh Close in Shadwell, east London.

London Fire Brigade said most of the 14th floor apartment of a 24-storey building was on fire and a 64-metre revolving ladder was called in to help fight the flames from a height.

The smoke and flames were visible for miles.

There were no immediate reports of injuries, but residents in the area were advised to keep windows and doors closed.

Roads in the area were closed after people raised the alarm at 12:16 p.m. Wednesday. Around 1:30 p.m., the fire was under control, the brigade said.

Crews from Shadwell, Whitechapel, Shoreditch, Dockhead, Millwall and surrounding fire stations were on scene.

The causes of the fire are currently under investigation, the brigade said.

Station Commander Steve Irvine, who was at the scene, said: “A respite center has been set up locally for those affected by the fire and we are working with local partners.

“Road closures remain in place in the area and we ask people to continue to avoid the area at this time. »

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called at 12.46pm today to reports of a fire in Hindmarsh Close, E1.

“We sent a number of resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, an incident response officer and members of our Hazardous Area Response Team.

“Our first doctors arrived in less than five minutes. The incident continues and we are working with our emergency services partners.