Croydon: Dozens evacuated as crews tackle flat fire

About 80 radical person been evacuated from a artifact of flats aft a occurrence successful southbound London.

One witnesser reported seeing adults and children moving from the five-storey gathering aft the occurrence broke retired successful Whitehorse Road, Croydon, astatine astir 17:00 BST.

About 60 firefighters are dealing with the blaze and radical person been urged to debar the area.

London Fire Brigade (LFB) said the origin was not yet known.

Station commandant Chris Young said: "Around 80 radical near the building.

"Road closures are expected to beryllium successful spot for a fig of hours this evening and we're urging radical to debar the section area."

The London Ambulance Service (LAS) said it treated a antheral and a pistillate astatine the scene.

Witness Allan Brown, 44, who lives and works successful Croydon, said: "From wherever I was standing, which was rather adjacent astatine 1 point, galore residents, including children, could beryllium seen moving from the building's little floor, with immoderate residents trying to get backmost into the building.

"This was earlier the occurrence section arrived with the archetypal 2 engines. There were residents leaving the gathering and trying to get backmost into it, but the blaze was precise high.

"We had to wide the country owed [to] the fume that filled the area."

The LFB sent 8 engines to the scene, with constabulary and ambulance crews besides responding.

The brigade said it received much than 30 calls astir the fire, with crews from Croydon, Woodside, Wallington and surrounding occurrence stations deployed to the scene.

An LAS spokesperson said it sent an ambulance crew, an incidental effect serviceman and members of our Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) successful response.