Three taken to hospital after fire breaks out in Sydenham Hill flats

A woman and two children were taken to hospital after firefighters rescued nine people from a flat fire.

Half of a storage room on the ground floor of a residential block in Mountacre Close, Sydenham Hill, was damaged by the blaze.

The rescued occupants were assessed on scene by London Ambulance Service crews and a woman and two children were subsequently taken to hospital after suffering from smoke inhalation.

A London Fire Brigade spokesman said: “Residents in a first-floor flat first became aware of the fire when they heard a crackling sound coming from the rear of the block. They woke the rest of their family and called 999, while remaining in their flat due to smoke in the stairway.

“The Brigade’s control officers took six calls to the fire and gave vital fire survival guidance to residents inside two flats on how to stay safe until firefighters arrived. On arrival, crews used fire escape hoods to lead nine people, including four children, to safety.”

London firefighters were among the first in the UK to carry fire escape hoods when they were introduced in 2018 as part of improvements following the Grenfell Tower fire. They do not provide oxygen but temporarily filter toxic smoke to make breathing easier.

Control received the first call at around 10.10pm and mobilised four fire engines and around 25 firefighters from Forest Hill, West Norwood, Beckenham and Woodside fire stations to the scene. The fire was under control by 12.30am

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Brigade and the Met.

Pictured top: Mountacre Close (Picture: LFB)