A man has died in a fire on the 17th floor of a block of flats in Poplar, east London, where two adults and a child were rescued.
London Fire Brigade were called to the fire at 4.35am and around 70 firefighters tackled the blaze, which broke out in a two-room flat and balcony in the 22-storey residential block on Blackwall Way.
Half of flat damaged
Half of the property on the 17th floor was damaged, with the fire brought under control by 6.41am.
The fire service said a man died at the scene, while two adults and a child were rescued by crews wearing breathing apparatus. A further 50 people had left the building before the emergency services arrived and are currently at a provided rest centre.
Emergency response
An LFB spokesperson said: “Ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters were called to a flat fire on Blackwall Way in Poplar. A two-room flat and balcony on the 17th floor of a 22-storey residential block of flats was damaged by fire.
“Two adults and one child were rescued by firefighters wearing breathing apparatus. Sadly, a man was declared dead at the scene. A further 50 people left the building before the Brigade arrived on scene and are currently at a rest centre.”
Investigation under way
Crews from across east London were sent to help tackle the blaze, and the fire service is looking into the cause. The LFB added: “A range of factors are being investigated regarding the cause of the fire.”
A London Ambulance Service statement read: “We were called at 4.44am to reports of a fire in Blackwall Way, Poplar. We sent ambulance crews, our tactical response unit, an incident response officer and paramedics from our hazardous area response team to the scene. We also dispatched London's air ambulance.”
It added: “Sadly, a person was pronounced dead at the scene. Two other patients were taken to hospital, and a third was treated at the scene and discharged.”
An early statement from the fire brigade said: “The Brigade’s 999 control officers were called at 0435 and mobilised crews from Poplar, Whitechapel, Plaistow, Stratford, Shadwell, East Ham, East Greenwich, Bethnal Green and Greenwich fire stations. The cause of the fire is under investigation.”
