Firefighters rescued 25 people from a fire affecting a shop with flats above it on Finchley Road in Hampstead, NW3 on Monday (26 October) morning.
At the height of the incident the Brigade had 10 fire engines and over 70 firefighters at the scene. Fire crews remained at the scene until Thursday afternoon damping down large pockets of fire.
The fire badly damaged the basement, ground, first, second and third floors of two neighbouring mid terrace shops with flats above. Twenty three people were led to safety from the flats and two other people, including a pregnant woman, were rescued from the roof of the building by a turntable ladder.
Twelve people have been treated at the scene for smoke inhalation and a two-year-old child has been taken to hospital as a precaution suffering from smoke inhalation.
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said:
“When crews arrived they were faced with fire and smoke spread throughout a large building on one of London’s busiest roads during rush hour. Our priority was to get everyone out and firefighters acted quickly to lead 23 occupants to safety and rescue a further two people from the roof. Crews also provided support to a number of people including one pregnant woman and a child suffering from smoke inhalation.
“The complex nature of the fire and the structure of the building meant this was a very challenging incident to deal with and our crews worked tirelessly to resolve it as quickly and safely as possible. Firefighters fought the fire internally for a number of hours, working at both the front and rear of the premises from an early stage. Three aerial appliances were also used to tackle the fire externally and at roof level to prevent the fire spreading to neighbouring properties.
“Our thoughts are with everyone who has been affected.”
Firefighters from West Hampstead, Kentish Town, Euston, Finchley, Hendon and other surrounding fire stations attended the incident. The Brigade was called at 0624. The cause of the fire is under investigation.