Two children dead in Camberwell block of flats fire
- 00:01:20
- ITN
Two children dead in Camberwell block of flats fire
Three adults and three children, including a three-week-old baby, have been killed in a blaze which swept through a tower block. London Fire Brigade said it was called around 4.25pm and 100 firefighters and 18 fire engines tackled the fire which engulfed seven floors of the 12-storey Lakanal House, in Havil Street, Camberwell, south London, and at one point trapped around 30 people. Eighteen people were taken to hospital with the majority suffering from smoke inhalation. A spokeswoman for The Lewisham Hospital, in south London, said: "We've had seven people brought in to the Accident and Emergency department. There are four adults and three children. All the people who have come to Lewisham have non-serious injuries." A spokesman for King's College Hospital, in Denmark Hill, said: "We had 11 people in total - nine of whom had minor injuries, mostly smoke inhalation. These were three children and six adults. The other two of the 11 sadly died." George Maddocks, who lives nearby, said: "The fire engines arrived very promptly but I think the height of the block was a problem. There seemed to be one window and one room ablaze when the fire brigade got there." He added: "Currently it is charred and blackened. It does seem to be under control - but I can only see so much." And Sarah Gresty, who lives in Havil Street, said she could see a column of flames and smoke in flats going up a number of floors. "It was very alarming seeing it," she said. "The fire was going in quite a few flats. It was shocking to see the quantities of smoke and flames."
ITN | July 3, 2009
