High rise block fire sends plume of smoke into air as 70 firefighters tackle flames at flats
A FIRE in a high rise tower block has sent plumes of thick smoke into the air as 70 firefighters tackle the blaze.
Some 10 fire engines were sent to Rosenthal House in Lewisham, London, this afternoon, having been called at 12.51pm today.
Two flats on the 9th and 10th floors of the building are currently alight.
Dramatic footage posted on social media shows black smoke and flames pouring from one of the flats.
A fire engine can be seen parked up nearby as onlookers watch outside an Aldi supermarket across the road.
The London Fire Brigade's (LFB) 999 Control Officers have taken almost 50 calls to the blaze.
A spokesperson for the brigade said: "Fire crews from Forest Hill, Greenwich, Deptford, Lee Green and surrounding fire stations are at the scene.
"Rushey Green remains closed between Rosenthal Road and Honley Road and people are advised to avoid the area whilst firefighters work to bring the fire under control.
"The cause of the fire is not known at this time."
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called at 12.55pm today (4 September) to reports of a fire at a tower block in Rosenthal Road, Catford.
“We sent a number of resources to the scene including ambulance crews, incident response officers and members of our Hazardous Area Response Team.
“There are no patients so far but we remain on standby at the scene.”
Local councillor James Walsh said on X, formerly Twitter: "Be aware there is significant travel disruption by road and bus."
HIGH RISE CALL OUTS
Late last month, the LFB dealt with two separate fires in tower blocks in the capital.
On August 26, the brigade first tackled a blaze at a block of flats on Freshwater Road in Dagenham, East London.
Forty fire engines and around 225 firefighters were dispatched to deal with it.
Later that day, 10 fire engines and some 70 firefighters are tackling the flat fire in a high rise building on Biscayne Avenue in Blackwall, East London.
Half of a flat and balcony on the 25th floor of the 45-storey building was alight.
In June this year, fire crews were called out to another tower block fire, this time in Woolwich, East London.