Last night, residents in a block of flats in Wood Green, London were evacuated after a massive blaze broke out at around 10 pm.
Footage has emerged of the blaze that is shown roaring from the roof of the building. It is reported to be council-owned.
The London Fire Brigade was in attendance, and in a statement last night, they said: Dcrews from Tottenham, Hornsey, Edmonton, Holloway, Stoke Newington and Southgate fire stations were all at the scene.”
The fire is said to have engulfed an entire second and third-floor maisonette of the four-storey building, and some of the roof was also alight.
Residents of the block of flats were told to evacuate and were rushed outside, where some required breathing apparatus. Approximately 70 firefighters in 10 fire engines were in attendance at the scene alongside ambulance crews.
In a later statement, London Fire Brigade said: “Firefighters are currently tackling a fire within a four-storey building of maisonettes, all of the second and third floors are alight and part of the roof.
“Around 20 people were evacuated by fire crews using breathing apparatus. Three people were treated by London Ambulance Service at the scene.”
A neighbour in the community shared his concerns that the fire was extremely close to his mother’s home, saying: “Huge fire spreading rapidly in a block of flats right behind my mum’s house in Wood Green.”
Another reported “Crazy fire outside the back of my house in Wood Green. Thank God, everyone is safe, and everyone evacuated.”
The legacy of Grenfell
Although this block of flats was a different construction to that of Grenfell Tower, there is still a significant fear of the scale of the disaster that unfolded that day.
People across the country are nevertheless concerned about the cladding that is present on some apartment blocks. As the trial continues, there is still information coming to light about the potential problems with its construction that led to the tragic events.
In a recent public enquiry, Bruce Sounes, the architect that worked on the project admitted he had not familiarised himself with the government regulations regarding the external walls.
“I thought their melting temperature was quite high,” Sounes said of the insulating panels. “I was not aware they were combustible or a risk.”
Warning of fire safety during lockdown
In some parts of the country, fire and rescue services are also seeing a spate of deliberate fires started during the lockdown period. Figures released by South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue highlighted a 190% increase in this type of fire compared to the first two months of 2020.
Speaking with South Yorkshire Live, a spokesperson for South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said:
“Establishing why we’ve had a county-wide increase is quite hard, as we serve so many different areas.
“It isn’t unusual, though, for us to see an increase in deliberate fire-setting during school holidays, as kids grow bored with extra time on their hands.
“Our crews have reported seeing groups of young people running away from some of the recent incidents we’ve attended – albeit this is clearly a very small minority of school kids.”
In response to the recent pandemic, The London Fire Brigade has issued some fire safety tips to protect your home during lockdown, which you can find on their website.
