Forty firefighters and six fire engines rushed to put out a fire in a Bermondsey flat this morning (July 23).
The fire, which took place in Galleywall Road, destroyed a four-room flat on the fourth floor of a residential tower. Firefighters rescued a man, a woman and two children from a flat on the floor above. Another man, woman and teenager left before the crews arrived. They were all assessed at the scene by London Ambulance Service crews.
The fire brigade was called shortly after 5.30 in the morning. Crews from Deptford, Dockhead, Peckham, Old Kent Road and New Cross stations rushed to the scene. The fire was out by about 6.10am. The cause is unknown and firefighters are investigating.
The four people rescued from their flat were brought down using fire escape hoods, the London Fire Brigade said. These give people up to fifteen minutes’ protection from four of the main gases caused by fires – carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen chloride and acrolein.
The hoods can be worn by even if someone is unconscious. They do not provide oxygen but temporarily filter toxic smoke to make breathing easier.