East London tower block blaze leaves two men in hospital

Two men have been taken to hospital after a fire broke out at a 19-storey tower block in Poplar, east London.

About 125 firefighters spent over three hours tackling the blaze at the block of flats at the New Providence Wharf estate on Fairmont Avenue.

Photos from the scene showed billowing black smoke reaching the top of the building.

Four children and 38 adults were evacuated from the tower block, the London Fire Brigade (LFB) said.

Firefighters were called at 08:55 BST and managed to bring the fire under control by about 11:30.

An LFB statement said: “Parts of the eighth, ninth and 10th floors of a 19-storey block were alight.

“Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus have carried out multiple rescues. Two men have been taken to hospital suffering [from the effects of] smoke inhalation.”

The cause of the fire is now under investigation, LFB added.

Mayor of Tower Hamlets John Biggs expressed his concern about the fire and said he was speaking to council officers and the London Fire Brigade.

He said: “I’ve been working with residents of this block for a long time to help them resolve fire safety issues. Their safety must come first.”

A London Ambulance Service spokeswoman said they were called out at 09:05, and sent ambulance crews, clinical team managers, an emergency planning and resilience officer and hazardous area response teams.

 

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