Around 100 firefighters and 15 fire engines were called to a blaze at the former BBC headquarters in White City, west London, in the early hours of Saturday. The fire broke out at the nine-storey Helios Building on Wood Lane shortly after 3am, with flames affecting the top floors, a restaurant, external decking, and ducting.
The London Fire Brigade (LFB) reported that the fire was concentrated on the Helios Building, which has been converted into flats and a restaurant. Smoke billowed from the rooftop rotunda as firefighters used a drone to assist operations. Crews from Hammersmith, North Kensington, Kensington, and Chiswick were drafted in, along with two 32-metre turntable ladders used as water towers.
One person was treated at the scene by London Ambulance Service, which also sent an ambulance crew, an incident response officer, and a hazardous area response team. Nearby buildings were evacuated as a precaution, and a rest centre was set up for displaced residents. The Salvation Army provided sandwiches to emergency workers.
A resident of the flats described being woken at 3am by thick smoke and seeing a 'red glow' that 'looked like a portal to the underworld.' Another resident across the road expressed relief that no fatalities were reported. The cause of the fire remains unknown, and roads in the area remain closed, with emergency services expected to remain on site for the rest of the day.
The Helios Building, part of the former BBC Television Centre, contains 162 homes, a gym, and a 47-bedroom hotel. The BBC moved out of the site in 2013 to its current headquarters at Broadcasting House.
