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Fire spreads across balconies at West Hampstead tower block
Over 50 firefighters have extinguished a fire in a block of flats in West Hampstead, which spread upwards across four balconies.
Eight fire engines and 58 firefighters were dispatched to the block, on Heritage Lane, after the London Fire Brigade (LFB) received 40 calls about the incident.
According to a statement from the LFB, the fire brigade was called at 11.25am, and 25 minutes after this it said that three balconies on the outside of the building, which appears to be seven storeys tall and has five levels of balconies, were alight.
Firefighters are working hard to tackle a fire in #WestHampstead. Three balconies are currently alight t.co/xBnCTtCFPa ©@k_leevers pic.twitter.com/4Led1KUtgs
— London Fire Brigade (@LondonFire)Firefighters are working hard to tackle a fire in #WestHampstead. Three balconies are currently alight https://t.co/xBnCTtCFPa ©@k_leevers pic.twitter.com/4Led1KUtgs
— London Fire Brigade (@LondonFire) July 3, 2018
Half an hour later, the LFB issued an update that the fire has spread to a fourth balcony, but at 1.13pm the fire brigade said it had got the fire under control. The four balconies, the LFB said in a statement, were destroyed.
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called at 11:46am today to Heritage Lane, West Hampstead, to reports of a fire.
“We sent an incident response officer, an ambulance crew and our hazardous area response team (HART). We did not treat any patients and have been stood down.”
The block is the Orwell Building in West Hampstead Square, a development of luxury flats completed just last year by developer Ballymore.
A Ballymore representative said: “We can confirm that the fire which broke out this morning has now been put out and there have been no reported injuries.
“The safety and security of residents is our upmost priority and we are in close communication with all affected residents. Our primary task in the coming hours is to ensure their security and to organise temporary accommodation.
“We are working closely with emergency services to find the cause of the fire.”
Update: at 9.29 on 4.7.18 This story was updated to include statements from the London Ambulance Service and Ballymore.
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