Huge fire engulfs Croydon block with 'children seen running from the building'

7 June 2023, 19:51 | Updated: 8 June 2023, 00:10

A fire broke on Wednesday evening in a block of flats in south London, with as many as 80 people fleeing the building.

Some 60 firefighters battled to put out the blaze on Whitehorse Road in Croydon, after being alerted to the incident at 5.03pm.

The fire brigade urged people to avoid the local area as they put out the fire. No one has been seriously hurt, although two people were treated at the scene.

A spokesman for the London Fire Brigade (LFB) said that the cause of the fire was not yet known.

Station commander Chris Young, who is at the scene, said: "Around 80 people left the building. Road closures are expected to be in place for a number of hours this evening and we're urging people to avoid the local area."

Allan Brown, 44, who lives and works in Croydon and witnessed the fire, said: "From where I was standing, which was quite close at one point, many residents, including children, could be seen running from the building's lower floor, with some residents trying to get back into the building.

"This was before the fire department arrived with the first two engines.

"There were residents leaving the building and trying to get back into it, but the blaze was very high.

"We had to clear the area due (to) the smoke that filled the area. "

"In total there was six fire engines and various amounts of police and ambulance in the scene within five minutes."

A London Ambulance Service spokesman, who said an ambulance crew, an incident response officer and members of a hazardous area response team were sent to the incident, added: "We treated a man and a woman at the scene but did not take anyone to hospital."

Fire crews from Croydon, Woodside, Wallington and surrounding fire stations attended the scene and the London Fire Brigade press office confirmed the fire was under control by 18:45.