A man has died as five other people managed to escape after a fire broke out at a flat in south east London.

Six fire engines and around 40 firefighters tackled the blaze in Kings James Street just after 5am today (September 4).

A third floor flat, consisting of three rooms, was destroyed by the blaze.

One resident was rescued and a further four people left the building before the arrival of the brigade.

Footage, posted on X (formally known as Twitter), shows a cloud of smoke billowing into the sky, as the fire rips through the flats.

In a separate footage, four fire engines are seen tackling the blaze with multiple cordons in place.

The fire was under control just before 7.20am.

Firefighters from Dockhead, Old Kent Road, Soho and surrounding fire stations attended the scene.

Kings James Street, Southwark fire (Image: @StGeorgesWard/X)

The fire is under investigation by the brigade and the Metropolitan Police Service.

A spokesperson for London Fire Brigade: “Sadly, a man has died following a fire on King James Street, Southwark.

“Six fire engines and around 40 firefighters responded to the fire.

“A third floor flat, consisting of three rooms, in block of three floor was destroyed by the blaze.

“Sadly, a man was declared dead at the scene. A second resident was rescued by crews from the building, and a further four people left the building before crews arrived.

“The Brigade was first called at 0502, and crews had the incident under control by 0718.

“Firefighters from Dockhead, Old Kent Road, Soho and surrounding fire stations attended the scene.

“The fire is under investigation by the Brigade and the Metropolitan Police Service.”