Fire in south London forces 310 people to flee

More than 125 firefighters tackled the blaze in Peckham.

According to the Metropolitan Police, ten people have sought hospital treatment, including two police officers who were treated for the effects of smoke inhalation.

No one is believed to have suffered serious injuries, the police added.

The fire is thought to have started at a building site near Carisbrooke Gardens around 0430 GMT and spread rapidly to nearby flats.

The police said the affected flats and buildings were in Sumner Road and Rosemary Road.

One resident who fled the scene spoke of flames shooting 20ft high.

London Fire Brigade assistant commissioner Steve Turek said the construction site and two blocks of flats were burning when firefighters first got there early on Thursday.

“The ferocity of the fire was a challenge when we first arrived because all the buildings were simultaneously burning,” said Turek.

“Homes were a particular concern to us because residents would have been sleeping at home at that time of the morning.”

The fire spread across a road, destroying cars, he added.

The Peckham fire comes just five months after a blaze in a tower block in nearby Camberwell killed six people, including a three-week old baby and two children.

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