A woman has died after a fire ripped through a supported living accommodation block in west London.
Seventy firefighters and ten fire engines were called to the apartment building on Brooks Road in Chiswick last Friday.
Upon arrival, they found a large fire, believed to have started in a first-floor flat, and several residents in need of help.
One woman was rescued from the flat by firefighters before being taken to hospital where she later died on January 13.
Four people were also rescued from neighbouring flats and were provided with escape hoods before being taken to hospital as a precaution.
London Fire Brigade Assistant Commissioner, Andy Pennick, said: “Our thoughts are with the woman's family and friends as well as all those impacted by this sad incident.
“Both during and after the fire, local crews and officers have worked closely with our partners to ensure the other residents, many of whom are elderly or vulnerable, were well-supported. This included setting up an immediate rest centre for around 30 residents who were evacuated from the building.
“The first crew arrived on scene within three minutes and I’d like to commend the actions of our firefighters who were faced with a challenging and well-developed fire and several people in need of urgent help. They were able to rescue five people from the building and assisted emergency service colleagues at the scene.
“Whilst the cause of this fire remains under investigation, I can confirm the Brigade was alerted to this fire due to an automatic fire alarm sounding, with the first 999 call confirming a fire not received until firefighters were already on scene. This fire highlights the importance of working smoke alarms, particularly in residential buildings or where vulnerable people are present, which undoubtedly enabled our crews to arrive on scene as quickly as possible and prevent significant fire spread and further tragedy.”
London Fire Brigade received the first of six calls at 4.22pm and control officers mobilised a total of ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters from Chiswick, Acton, Mitcham and surrounding fire stations to the scene at the height of the fire.
The blaze was brought under control by 6.05pm.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
