Intense fire breaks out in London tower block on day of Grenfell report

04 September 2024 , 15:21

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Flames emerged from the upper floors of the apartment building (Picture: @wherethecatis)

A 12-storey tower block caught fire in London just after a report into Grenfell was released.

Two flats on the 9th and 10th floors of Rosenthal House, on Rosenthal Road, Catford, burst into flames shortly before 1pm today.

Pictures show black smoke billowing from flat windows filled with orange flames.

The fire is now under control after emergency service came out in force to tackle the blaze of, as yet, unknown cause in southeast London.

In total, ten engines and 70 firefighters were at the scene this afternoon, according to London Fire Brigade, which received nearly 50 calls about the flames.

London Ambulance Service confirmed to Metro that no injuries have been reported, but that they have crews on standby.

A tower block going up in flames is a harrowing sight on any day.

But today was the release of a damning report into the Grenfell Tower fire, which killed 72 people and left hundreds homeless on June 14, 2017.

The report blamed the fire on the ‘dishonesty and incompetence’ of companies and local authorities, calling it ‘the culmination of decades of failure’.

As destructive as today’s fire in Catford appears to be, fire crews are out on mass to extinguish the flames.

London Ambulance Service is also on hand. A spokesperson said: ‘We were called at 12.55pm today 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.’

A fire service spokesperson said: ‘Ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters tackled a fire at a block of flats on Rosenthal Road in Catford.

‘Two flats were alight. There are currently no reports of any injuries.

‘Rushey Green remains closed between Rosenthal Road and Honley Road and people are advised to avoid the area whilst firefighters continue to work at the scene. 

‘The Brigade’s 999 Control Officers have taken almost 50 calls to the blaze.

‘The Brigade was called at 12.51pm. Fire crews from Forest Hill, Greenwich, Deptford, Lee Green and surrounding fire stations attended the scene.

‘The cause of the fire is under investigation.’

James Smith