Wood Green fire: 70 firefighters battle huge blaze at block of flats
29 April 2020, 23:35
Huge blaze at Wood Green flats
A huge blaze has broken out at a block of flats in Wood Green, north London.
Flames engulfed a four-storey building on Acacia Road, causing the roof to collapse, late on Wednesday evening.
According to eyewitnesses, there is “a lot of damage” but there have not been any injuries or fatalities.
It is believed to be a council block, comprising of two levels of two-floor maisonettes.
Ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters are at the scene at a maisonette on Acacia Road in Wood Green, according to the London Fire Brigade.
Ajmal Masroor, Imam at the Palmers Green Mosque, lives nearby, and spoke to LBC's Tom Swarbrick about the blaze.
He said: “I can see many firefighters are using their hose to try and douse the fire but it has come under some sort of control.
“Where the fire began is a first floor two storey flat, that’s the place where fire is still coming out quite furiously.
Fire in Wood Green London pic.twitter.com/GzRqjP61e2
— Akunjee 🖋 (@mohammedakunjee) April 29, 2020
“I can see some smouldering amber every now and again gathering momentum and getting into flames because of the wind.
“The fire brigade have got hoses going in every direction.
“The elderly couple came out quite safe, it is true that they did report the fire first and the fire brigade came but couldn’t see anything.
“The entire roof has caved in I think, there isn’t anything left of the roof.”
He added: “I can still see on the left hand side one of the fires which is refusing to go off.
“The remaining fire looks like it has gone off but one is absolutely blazing in the corner just in the roof and I’m just worried it may just explode again.
“I think the fire brigade is doing a great job – they were a bit slow in starting but they got there eventually.
“There’s a lot of damage here but luckily nobody has been hurt, nobody been injured and there are no fatalities luckily.”
Fire at Firs House :( #woodgreen pic.twitter.com/x8VteWFbd6
— Kariely Gonçalves (@karotima) April 29, 2020
Dominic Graham, who lives opposite the block, also told LBC: “I’d just come back from a run right as it was starting out, so I was one of the ones who called the fire service.
“It had started out in one of the flats, apparently the fire crews had already been there and had left having disconnected the stove, which apparently was faulty.
“Then it went up again – it started out smoky burning up the one flat.
“The fire crews arrived, put it out, it looked like it was all subdued and then we saw that it started carrying across the roof.
“It then flared up again which is where we saw the really graphic pictures, when it flared up again on the roof.”
He continued: “The people who were in the flat where it started were clearly elderly but they were out safely before the fire crews arrived, so that was good.
Crazy fire outside the back of my house in Wood Green. Thank God everyone is safe and everyone evacuated pic.twitter.com/MRpQvPEHZQ
— Lloyd Barnes (@LloydBa73880677) April 29, 2020
“There was enough time to make sure everyone got out safely so it looks like everyone is safe but it’ll be the property damage that’s really concerning.”
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “Police were called by the London Fire Brigade at 22:11hrs on Wednesday, 29 April to reports of a fire at a residential address on Acacia Road, N22.
“Officers and the London Ambulance Service attended.
“A number of flats have been evacuated as a precaution.
“There are no reported injuries.
“Road closure are in place while emergency services are at the scene.”
London Fire Brigade, London Ambulance Service and the Metropolitan Police have been contacted for a comment.
