Woolwich fire: Top-floor tower block blaze near London City Airport brought under control
Video from Twitter/@Mr_Stevo87
A fire in an east London tower block has been brought under control, the London Fire Brigade (LFB) has confirmed.
More than 125 firefighters are tackling a blaze in east London after video posted online showed flames leaping from the window of the high rise block of flats in Woolwich.
Fifteen fire engines and around 125 firefighters were called to Manwood Street in North Woolwich close to London City Airport.
The Brigade's 999 Control Officers took more than 105 calls to the blaze on Wednesday afternoon (20 July).
The cause of the fire is not known at this time and fire crews said there had not been any reports of injuries.
LFB said: "A four-roomed flat on the 17th floor of the building is completely alight.
"A four-roomed flat on the 17th floor of the building was alight. Firefighters also tackled a fire involving around one hectare of grass opposite the block at the junction between Manwood Street and Silverland Street."
It comes a day after the UK recorded its hottest ever temperatures, and saw firefighters face their busiest day since the Second World War.
London Ambulance Service said: “We have sent a number of resources to the scene, including advanced paramedics and our hazardous area response team.”
LFB Station Commander Keith Sanders, who was at the scene, said: "Crews arrived to find a top floor flat alight, which was producing heavy smoke. They were also faced with a grass fire in an area opposite the block.
"Crews worked incredibly hard to bring the fire under control and smoke is now subsiding.
"We used our 32-metre turntable ladder and drones at the scene to provide an aerial view of the incident and help Incident Commanders develop tactics to bring the fire under control.
"There were a lot of possessions and clutter inside the flat which made it challenging for firefighters. It can make fires spread much faster, especially when there are lots of flammable items such as newspapers or cardboard.
"There are currently no reports of any injuries."
The Brigade was called at 12.49pm and the fire was under control by 3.07pm, LFB said.
Fire crews from Shadwell, Dowgate, Dockhead, Shoreditch and surrounding fire stations attended the scene.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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