Lewisham fire 'heroes' rescue seven from Campshill Road flats blaze

Crews rescued five women, one child and one baby from the building in Campshill Road while the London Fire Brigade control officers gave lifesaving advice over the phone to people inside the four storey building.

In addition to those who were rescued, four people jumped from the first floor of the property before firefighters arrived on the scene at around 2.30am.

The four, two men and two women, were amongst the nine people taken to hospital by ambulance.

The remaining five were taken to hospital as they were suffering from smoke inhalation.

A further woman and baby were treated on the scene by crews from London Ambulance Service.

Police officers evacuated 31 additional people from the building and it is thought they are now being looked after by staff from Lewisham Council.

Station manager Ziggy Hurrion, based at the London Fire Brigade’s headquarters in Southwark, said: “Seven lives were saved in the early hours of this morning due to the quick thinking actions of our staff.

“Both our control officers, who handled the 999 calls from those inside the flats, and the brave actions of our firefighters, ensured that five women and two children were safely rescued from the blaze.

“They were all heroes this morning.

“Ambulance crews and police officers also did a great job at what was undoubtedly a challenging incident for all who attended.

“Nine people were taken to hospital and fortunately, at this stage, we don’t believe anyone was seriously injured.

“I can’t praise the actions of our staff enough as this incident could easily have ended in tragedy.”

Parts of the ground, first, second and third floors of the building were damaged by fire and an investigation is now underway to look into how the blaze started.

Six fire engines and around 30 firefighters attended the incident.

They were from Lewisham, Forest Hill, Lee Green, Downham and Deptford fire stations.

The fire was under control by 4.45am.