More 70 firefighters bring London tower block blaze 'under control'

Fire blazes from a Catford building Credit: X/ @maverickchapman

A fire in Catford, south-east London is "under control" after around 70 firefighters were called to two flats on the ninth and tenth floors of a tower block.

The the London Fire Brigade (LFB) received more than 50 calls with images on social media showing flames and smoke billowing from the building.

It said on X: "The fire in #Catford is now under control. There are currently no reports of any injuries."

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called at 12.55pm today (4 September) to reports of a fire at a tower block in Rosenthal Road, Catford.

“We sent a number of resources to the scene including ambulance crews, incident response officers and members of our Hazardous Area Response Team.

“There are no patients so far but we remain on standby at the scene.”

The LFB confirmed that the cause of the fire is not currently known, but is under investigation.

An LFB statement said: “Ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters tackled a fire at a block of flats on Rosenthal Road in Catford.

“Two flats were alight. There are currently no reports of any injuries.

“Rushey Green remains closed between Rosenthal Road and Honley Road and people are advised to avoid the area whilst firefighters continue to work at the scene. The Brigade’s 999 Control Officers took almost 50 calls to the blaze.

"The Brigade was called at 1251 and the fire was under control by 1414. Fire crews from Forest Hill, Greenwich, Deptford, Lee Green and surrounding fire stations attended the scene.

This comes after the Grenfell Tower Inquiry's final report concluded that the 2017 fire, which claimed the lives of 72 people, was entirely preventable.


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