Families could be heard shouting in terror last night as an apocalyptic fire tore through their homes. Three flats, across three floors of Bradbeer House in Bethnal Green, have been gutted after a blaze ripped through the building, sending thick, acrid smoke belching into the midnight air.
Dozens of residents were evacuated amid chaotic scenes outside the building, with panicked locals watching on as the glowing red flames torched the flats. Police were heard shouting “get back” as the stunned locals saw their home consumed.
Young children were seen gripping their parents’ hands tightly amid the pandemonium unfolding outside in footage of the terrifying incident shared on Facebook. The London Fire Brigade sent 60 firefighters to the scene from several local stations, including Bethnal Green, Poplar, Shadwell and Shoreditch.
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The heroic firefighters donned specialist breathing equipment to enter the building and rescue seven people from the tower block inferno. In total, 17 people needed treatment at the scene care of the London Ambulance Service, with another 11 taken to hospital. Crews are said to have had control over the blaze by around 1am.
Daniel Campiao, 35, a geographer from Portugal has lived in London for eight years. He lives next door to the burnt out building. He told The Mirror: “I was in my room last night when I suddenly smelled smoke.
“I thought there may have been a fire inside my building but when I leant out of my window I could see the smoke outside. At one stage I could hear people shouting. The fire engines arrived and they were here all night. I’m just relieved no-one died.”
Another local resident, who asked not to be named, was standing outside the Bangabandhu Primary school on Braintree Street. She said: “It was pretty terrifying for a while. The flames were mainly coming from a first floor flat. There were huge plumes of black smoke – and there was a really acrid smell.
“The fire engines arrived pretty quickly and it took them over an hour to put the fire out. There were a lot of people on the street watching. Someone said it started through the battery of one of those electric bikes but I don’t know if that’s true.”
This morning there was still a strong stench of smoke. Charred and badly burnt items littered the street outside the housing complex in Bethnal Green. Among them were children’s toys, bicycle parts and a chest of drawers.
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: “Eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters tackled a flat fire on Cornwall Avenue in Bethnal Green.
“Part of three flats on the ground, first and second floors of the residential block were damaged by fire.
“Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used fire escape hoods to rescue seven people from the building. 17 people were treated on scene by London Ambulance Service crews and 11 of those people were taken to hospital.
“The Brigade’s Control Officers took 36 calls to the fire and gave vital fire survival guidance to three residents on how to stay safe before firefighters arrived.
“The Brigade was called at 2338 and the fire was under control by 0105. Fire crews from Shadwell, Shoreditch, Bethnal Green, Poplar and surrounding fire stations attended the scene.
“The cause of the fire is under investigation.”
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called at 11.38pm yesterday (9 April) to reports of a fire in Cornwall Avenue, Bethnal Green. We sent a number of resources to the scene including ambulance crews, advanced paramedics and members of our Hazardous Area Response Team.
“We treated 17 patients in total. We took 11 patients to hospital and six patients were cared for and discharged at the scene.”
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