Huge Blaze In London Tower Block

A huge blaze  turned a 15-storey tower block in Kingston upon Thames on Monday night into a towering inferno, reports The Daily Mail, London. 

Firefighters battled all night to put out the blaze at the tower.  The fire started shortly after 4.45pm in the tower block on the Cambridge Road Estate in Kingston, Surrey. 

Residents were evacuated and taken to nearby Piper community hall, according to Kingston borough council.

A spokesman for the London Fire Brigade revealed it had 15 fire appliances and around 70 firefighters on the scene.

Fire engines were  sent from Kingston, New Malden, Surbiton, Twickenham, Heston and surrounding areas.

A spokesman said: ‘We understand it has been fully evacuated.’

The 1960s block is owned by the council and includes council flats and privately owned properties, he added. 

‘We are assessing what people’s needs will be,’ he said. ‘If it’s the case that they won’t be able to return to the block tonight we will assist anybody who hasn’t got alternative accommodation.’

A spokesman for the London Ambulance Service said: ‘We received reports of a fire at 4.50pm in Kingston and sent a single responder and two ambulance crews. ‘They are on the scene standing by in the event of any injuries

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said they had been diverting rush hour commuters away.

A council spokesman said: ‘We are only in the first hour or so, so we have made initial preparations on the basis that some people will be out of the building and in need of some rest. ‘In terms of numbers, or long-term implications, it’s too early to say.’