About 22 residents were evacuated after a major blaze broke out at the former BBC Television Centre in London's White City on Saturday morning. The fire affected the top floors of the nine-storey building, with flames spreading to a restaurant, external decking and ducting systems.
Fifteen fire engines and around 100 firefighters responded to the emergency call at 3:08am on Wood Lane. London Fire Brigade worked alongside the Metropolitan Police to safely evacuate residents from the building and surrounding area as a precautionary measure.
The fire caused smoke and water damage to several flats within the converted building. One person received treatment at the scene for smoke inhalation from London Ambulance Service crews, whilst a rest centre was established for displaced residents.
Complex firefighting operation
Station commander Graham Beers described the challenging conditions firefighters faced throughout the day. "Crews have been working hard all day in challenging conditions to bring the fire under control," he said.
"This was a complex fire at the top of the building and firefighters worked tirelessly to prevent the fire from spreading. Two 32-metre turntable ladders attended and were deployed as water towers to help extinguish the fire from height. The brigade's drone team also attended, providing the incident commander with a greater situational awareness of the fire."
A resident living in the converted flats witnessed the dramatic scene unfold. "I got woken up by my girlfriend at 3am who was coming back from work - we could really smell the smoke, it was quite thick," they said.
"We could see about 100 firefighters and at least eight or nine fire engines that were all parked up. I could just see a red glow. It was glowing really intensely, it almost looked like a portal to the underworld. It was quite sinister."
Investigation underway
Fire crews from Hammersmith, North Kensington, Kensington, Chiswick and surrounding stations attended the incident. The blaze was finally brought under control at 5:01pm, with crews expected to remain at the scene throughout the evening.
The cause of the fire is now under investigation by the brigade's fire investigation unit. The BBC operated primarily from Television Centre until 2013 before relocating to Broadcasting House.
The site currently houses 162 residential homes, along with a gym and 47-bedroom hotel in the Helios Building. Television studios remain active on the site, hosting popular programmes including Loose Women and Good Morning Britain, though the BBC Studios office was not affected by the fire.
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
