14 people including two children escape blaze in block of flats

Two children and 12 adults were forced to escape a blaze that ripped through the ground floor of a block of flats in the early hours of this morning.

Eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters were called to the flat fire in a four-storey building in Polecroft Lane, Lewisham, at around 4am.

The London Fire Brigade said most of a ground floor flat in the four-storey building was damaged by fire.

One person was rescued by firefighters wearing breathing apparatus from the ground floor. They were taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation.

An adult and two children were rescued by crews from a neighbouring flat. Seven adults wearing fire escape hoods were led to safety from the first floor of the building by firefighters.

A further four adults were also led to safety wearing smoke hoods and treated by London Ambulance Service crews at the scene.

Fire escape hoods provide members of the public with up to 15 minutes protection from four of the main fire gases and can be worn by conscious or unconscious people.

Station Commander Sam Woodhams said: “Crews worked extremely hard to bring the fire under control and in difficult conditions.

“Firefighters are likely to remain at the scene for the next few hours.”

The cause of the fire is believed to be combustible items coming into contact with an electric heater.

A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: “The rise in energy costs means there’s a very real risk of heating-related fires. We know that people will turn to alternative ways to keep their families warm overnight without turning on the heating, we just want to make sure that people are staying safe at the same time.

“We know that people may want to use portable heaters to heat just one room. It’s important to follow the manufacturer’s instructions and ensure these items are safety registered and in good working order. If you’re using these items around children always supervise them carefully and place heaters somewhere where they won’t be accidentally knocked over and away from anything that could catch fire.”

The Brigade was called at around 4am and the fire was under control by around 6.20am. Fire crews from Forest Hill, Lewisham, Lee Green and other surrounding fire stations attended the scene.

Pictured top: Firefighters tackle the flat fire in Polecroft Lane (Picture: LFB)