Firefighters deal with two major fires in north London

Crews were called out in Holloway and West Hampstead in the early hours of this morning

Firefighters work at the scene of a fire at a restaurant and flats in Holloway
Author: Jonny FreemanPublished 28th Nov 2024

Crews from London Fire Brigade have been dealing with two major fires in north London.

Five people have been taken to hospital after a fire destroyed a takeaway restaurant and damaged two flats in north London.

Around 100 firefighters were called to tackle the blaze on Seven Sisters Road in Holloway in the early hours of Thursday.

The ground floor restaurant was destroyed and the roof collapsed while two flats on the first and second floors of the building were damaged, the London Fire Brigade (LFB) said.

A spokesperson for the London Ambulance Service said: "We were called at 3.51am today to reports of a fire on Seven Sisters Road.

"We sent a number of resources to the scene including ambulance crews, a paramedic in a fast response car, an incident response officer, an advanced paramedic and members of our Hazardous Area Response Team."

Speaking at the scene, Station Commander Mike Watts from London Fire Brigade said: "There are road closures in place and we urge people to avoid the area, particularly during rush hour, due to congestion.

"The fire produced a lot of smoke in the vicinity and local residents were advised to keep their windows and doors closed while crews brought the fire under control."

Control officers took the first calls at 3.45am with crews from Holloway, Kentish Town, Islington, Euston and surrounding fire stations at the scene.

The cause of the fire is being investigated by the LFB and the Metropolitan Police.

Meanwhile, 25 people were taken to safety in West Hampstead after flames were spotted coming from a roof.

The London Fire Brigade said on social media around 70 firefighters were at the fire in a roof, which has been brought under control.

The brigade said part of the roof of a house in Lyncroft Gardens was on fire.

There were no reports of any injuries.

Station Commander Ken Spratt, who is at the scene, said: "One of the Brigade's 64-metre turntable ladders is being used at the scene as a water tower to tackle the fire from height.

"Drones are also being used to survey the incident from above, providing incident commanders with an aerial view to support with developing tactics.

"West Hampstead Fire Station has been set up as a rest centre for residents affected by the fire."

The London Fire Brigade said the first call was made just after 3am with crew from West Hampstead, Paddington, North Kensington and Hendon on the scene.

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