Four people treated by ambulance crews after fire in block of flats

Four people were treated by ambulance crews after they escaped a fire in a block of flats in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters tackled the blaze at a residential block of flats in Buckingham Gate, Westminster.

Half of a three-roomed flat on the ground floor of the five-storey building was damaged by fire. 

Three people suffering smoke inhalation fled the flat before the London Fire Brigade (LFB) arrived. They were treated on-scene by London Ambulance Service crews. 

A further woman was rescued by firefighters from a neighbouring flat using a fire escape hood before being treated on-scene by LFB and London Ambulance Service crews.

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. 

The hoods do not provide oxygen, but temporarily filter toxic smoke to make breathing easier, the LFB said.

The LFB was first called at around 4am. Firefighters from Lambeth, Soho and Dowgate fire stations brought the blaze under control by around 5am. 

The cause of the fire is under investigation, the LFB said.

(Picture: LFB)