Fifteen fire engines and around 100 firefighters were called into action after a fire ripped through a luxury apartment complex in central London this evening.
The blaze broke out at the Goodman’s Fields on Leman Street in Aldgate on Sunday just before 6pm.
A fifth floor flat was alight, as well as part of a seventh floor apartment, London Fire Brigade said in a statement.
A video posted on X showed fire raging inside one apartment, with huge plumes of thick blame smoke drifting up to the apartment above.
The fire brigade’s incident commanders used a 64-metre turntable ladders as an observation tower, providing a vantage point for them to assess the incident.
The Brigade’s 999 Control Officers took the first of 15 calls to the fire at 5.43pm and mobilised crews from Whitechapel, Shadwell, Shoreditch, Dowgate, Bethnal Green and surrounding fire stations to the scene.
The seven-acre Goodman’s Fields site is described as ‘an award winning, food, drink, health and entertainment destination’ in Aldgate East.
The location used to be home to a postal sorting office but is now home to ‘one of London’s most historic and vibrant urban quarters right on the doorstep of the City of London’ – where a two-bedroom home recently sold for £1.1million.
A video posted on X showed the fire raging through the apartment, with thick plumes of black smoke drifting up to the apartment above
A map showing the location of the fire in the Aldgate area of London, between Liverpool Street and the Tower of London
Emergency services are currently responding to a major fire at a residential apartment block on Leman Street in East London
The incident has been declared a fifteen-pump fire, indicating a large-scale emergency response with multiple fire engines on scene
Smoke pours from the fifth floor luxury flat as bright flames burn through the apartment
The cause of the fire is not known at this time but the incident was declared a fifteen-pump fire, indicating a large-scale emergency response with multiple fire engines on scene.
It is not yet known if there are any individuals trapped inside the apartment block and firefighters are believed to be conducting urgent search and rescue operations.
There is a significant emergency presence in the area, and members of the public are urged to avoid Leman Street and surrounding roads to allow emergency services to work safely and efficiently.
