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Residents on a residential street in Lewisham have described frantic attempts to save a young child trapped in a flat fire that broke out overnight, leaving one person dead and others seriously injured.
Emergency services were called to the scene shortly after midnight, following reports of a serious fire at a terraced flat in south-east London. Flames were seen pouring from the property, with thick smoke visible from several streets away.
One neighbour, who spoke to us on the condition of anonymity, recalled the terrifying moment the fire was discovered:
“My Neighbour called from her window and said she had a fire — she asked if I could call her son. Then I saw her jump from the first floor. It was horrible. She was clearly in pain and panic.”
It is understood that the woman, believed to be in her 40s, self-rescued by leaping from the first-floor window to escape the flames.
She was taken to the hospital by ambulance with injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening.
However, a young child — believed to be a relative of the woman — could not be reached in time. Despite desperate attempts by neighbours to force their way inside, the flames and heat were too intense and fire crews were beaten back. Valent efforts were also made to reach the child by fire crews.
“People were shouting, smashing things, trying to get in, but the fire spread so fast,” another resident said. “We couldn’t get to them. It’s devastating.”
The London Fire Brigade deployed multiple engines to tackle the blaze and remain at the scene as of this morning. Fire investigation officers are working alongside the Metropolitan Police to determine the cause of the fire, with one line of enquiry reportedly involving the possible ignition of lithium batteries or fireworks — though this remains unconfirmed.
A large number of bangs and pops were reported by others neighbours one said he was woken by a large cloud of thick black smoke there was lots of banging. The flames licked up the back of the flats.
A source at the scene for the Met Police confirmed that a crime scene is currently in place and the incident is being investigated with the help of the London Fire Brigade.
In a statement, a London Fire Brigade spokesperson said:
“We were called to a house fire in Lewisham shortly after midnight. Crews tackled a well-developed fire. An investigation is ongoing.”
Ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters tackled a fire at a block of maisonettes on Lewisham Road, Lewisham.
A maisonette split between the ground and first floors was destroyed by the fire. Part of of a maisonette split between the second and third floors was damaged by the fire along with a small part of the external fascia of the building. One woman was treated on scene by London Ambulance Service. Three further people left the building before the Brigade arrived.
The Brigade’s Drone Team were deployed to provide the Incident Commander with an aerial view of the fire.
Control Officers took the first of 14 calls at 2355 and mobilised crews to the scene from Greenwich, Lewisham, Lee Green and surrounding fire stations. The fire was under control by 0202.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Local residents have been left shaken by the incident, with some laying flowers at the cordon and expressing their grief and solidarity with the affected family.
This is a developing story. We will update this article as soon as further information is released.
