Six die in tower block blaze horror

Published on Saturday 4 July 2009 00:55

SIX people, including three children, died last night after a huge fire swept through a tower block in south London.

The blaze, in Camberwell, began on the fourth floor of the 12-storey block and spread rapidly to the 11th floor, according to firefighters.

A three-week-old baby and children aged six and seven were among those who died.

More than 100 firefighters tackled the blaze, which broke out around 4:15pm yesterday, rescuing 30 people from the block. Emergency services said that of those, 18 people, including 11 children, most of whom were suffering from smoke inhalation, needed hospital treatment. Twelve are said to be "serious".

London Fire Brigade said that despite extremely difficult conditions, firefighters had rescued everyone else who had been inside and the fire had been brought under control by around 9pm.

A spokesman said: "The building is still being searched, but we are confident there won't be any more people involved. We're doing a systematic floor-by-floor search."

Emergency services were called to Lakanal House in Havil Street at about 4:25pm. The spokesman said the fire had spread through eight floors.

"A number of rescues have been carried out in extremely difficult circumstances and fire crews equipped with extended duration breathing apparatus (worked] very hard to reach those affected and carry out an exhaustive search of the building," the spokesman said.

"Two specialist fire investigation teams have conducted a preliminary investigation into the cause of the incident."

He said it could take "weeks, if not months" before the cause of the blaze was determined.

Paul Glenny, a firefighter who battled the blaze, said: "I've been in the job for 30 years, and I've never seen anything like it. The hot weather and the fact that people's windows were open made the fire what it was."

A number of the flats in the block, which is part of a large 1960s public-housing project, were completely destroyed by the flames.

Sarah Gresty, who lives nearby, said she could see a column of flames and smoke in the flats going up a number of floors.

"The fire was going in quite a few flats. It was shocking to see the quantities of smoke and flames."

Michael Thompson, 17, who lives in the tower block, said: "There was a big bang that sounded like an explosion. People were screaming. I heard people shouting 'fire, fire'.

"I called 999 when I saw the flames, and they said they were already on their way. I could smell the smoke from inside my flat."

Architect Alastair Bowden, 31, who lives further along Havil Street, said: "You can see about four floors that have been affected. It's quite dramatic to see a tower block on fire. It has shocked everyone."

Unharmed, evacuated residents were taken to an emergency centre set up in a nearby church hall by Southwark Council and the British Red Cross, while the injured were taken to three London hospitals.

A crowd gathered in the street for several hours after the fire had been extinguished, staring up at the blackened front of the block.

Speaking from the evacuation centre at Welton Hall, in Bushey Road, Nancy Kanu, 28, who lived on the fifth floor of the block, said: "We saw smoke coming in through the window.

"The stairs were all full of smoke. We were really scared because we couldn't walk. We were crawling through the smoke. My sister was there with her three-day-old baby who is now suffering breathing problems and I was with my two kids."

Karin Abdul, 37, who lived on the third floor, said: "We heard lots of noise and I saw the fire.

"We had to run down the stairs. I was really scared. I was with my five-year-old son and was scared for his safety."

Southwark councillor Ian Wingfield, who represents Brunswick Park – the ward Havil Street is in – said there were 108 flats in the block.

The building on the Sceaux Gardens Estate is owned and managed by the council, and people live there on a leasehold or tenant basis, he said.

Mr Wingfield added: "This is an extremely tragic incident. The condolences of myself and my other colleagues on the council go out to the families involved.

"We hope we can sort matters out as quickly as possible so that people are put in accommodation to begin with and then hopefully they can go back into the block.

"But we are not going to move people back in there until all the health and safety aspects have been covered."

A council spokesman said: "Arrangements are being made to rehouse those who require it and who are unable to make alternative arrangements. The rest centre will remain open for as long as necessary."

Southwark Council leader Nick Stanton added: "This is a terrible thing to have happened and my thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the family of the children who have died and those affected by this fire."

Labour MP Harriet Harman, who constituency includes the tower block, said: "It's a very tragic situation and the emergency services are working together. People remain calm, but it's a very distressing situation.

"I have been keeping Number 10 informed. I have spoken to the fire authorities and they have yet to identify the cause of the fire. The main immediate concern is for the people who have died and for the people fighting for their lives in hospital."