A major incident has been declared and a ‘significant search and rescue operation’ is underway after a huge blaze engulfed a London tower block with ‘non-compliant cladding’ in the middle of the night.
Some 40 fire engines and 225 firefighters have been sent to battle the fire on Freshwater Road in Dagenham, east London, which saw more than 100 people evacuated and two people taken to hospital.
The London Fire Brigade (LFB), which was called at 2.44am, said parts of the scaffolding surrounding the building, as well as the ground floor and the roof, were alight.
The London Ambulance Service said it treated four patients at the scene and took two of them to hospital. Their condition is unknown at this stage.
Those who fled the building have told of being woken up to ‘piercing screams’ as huge flames ripped through the residential and commercial building. The cause of the blaze, which has resulted in thick plumes of smoke billowing into the sky, is not yet known.
The building, called Spectrum House, has a ‘number of fire safety issues known to London Fire Brigade’. Work was also underway to remove ‘non-compliant cladding’ on the building, which is why it was covered in scaffolding.
Valcan, a leading company in architectural cladding systems, posted on Facebook six days ago that it was carrying out ‘remedial work to external cladding to the fifth and sixth floors’ and ‘removing the non-compliant cladding’.
Cladding is typically fitted to the outside of high-rise buildings to improve their insulation and appearance. But since the Grenfell tragedy, campaigners have been calling for the Government to fix Britain’s building safety crisis by replacing unsafe cladding.
In June 2017, a fire ripped through Grenfell Tower, a 24-storey high-rise in west London, killing 72 people, with the blaze spreading rapidly due to the highly combustible cladding on the block’s outside walls. A public inquiry into the disaster is still ongoing.
London Fire Commissioner Andy Roe said the LFB had declared a major incident in Dagenham to allow the service to focus its resources on the fire.
He continued: ‘The building has a number of fire safety issues known to London Fire Brigade.
‘A full simultaneous evacuation of the building was immediately carried out and a significant search and rescue operation is under way.
‘The Brigade has stood up full strategic arrangements to deal with the incident and a rest centre has been set up at Beacontree Health and Leisure Centre.
‘LFB officers are stationed at the rest centre to support residents.’
New drones are being deployed to tackle the blaze, along with 64-metre and 32-metre turntable ladders that are being used as vantage points to assess the scene and to douse the flames with water from above, Mr Roe said.
Those who fled in the early hours have told of their dramatic escape.
Martin Perry-Taylor, 44, described smoke engulfing the building with ‘piercing screams’ waking him up.
He said: ‘It was madness. I woke to all this screaming and alarms and just chaos.
‘It was dreadful. There were piercing screams. Smoke was everywhere.
‘It was unreal. I got out straight away and there was just mayhem with people fleeing and getting out. It was my worst nightmare.’
Another said: ‘I’m in a state of complete shock and disbelief. How an earth did this start?’
Dagenham and Rainham’s Labour MP Margaret Mullane said on X: ‘Terrible scenes in Dagenham this morning as @LondonFire tackle the blaze at Freshwater Rd.
‘Thanks to their rapid response injury was minimal. I will be visiting the rescue centre today to see what help and support I can offer the residents and businesses who have lost everything.’
Station Commander Alan Bendell, who is at the scene of the Dagenham fire, said: ‘The fire is producing heavy smoke and we’re advising local residents to keep windows and doors closed.
‘Two of the Brigade’s 32-metre turntable ladders are being used at the scene as aerial water towers to assist with tackling the fire from height.
‘Freshwater Road is closed to traffic, so please avoid the area where possible.’
Several ambulances are parked nearby to the blaze and an air ambulance was also dispatched.
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: ‘We were called at 2:52am today (26 August) to reports of a fire on Freshwater Road in Dagenham.
‘We sent a large number of resources to the scene, including ambulance crews, incident response officers, an advanced paramedic in critical care, emergency planning officers, a command support vehicle and members of our hazardous area response team (HART).
‘We also dispatched London’s Air Ambulance.’
‘We treated four patients at the scene and took two of them to a hospital.’
Crews from Dagenham, Ilford, Romford, Barking and surrounding fire stations are at the scene.
LFB is describing the property as a ‘mixed-used residential and commercial building’. The BBC reports that more than 100 people were evacuated.