Fire breaks out at London tower block

A fire has broken out at a tower block in south-west London.

A woman suffered from smoke inhalation as the blaze took hold in a flat on the 20th floor of a high rise on Westbridge Road in Battersea, London Fire Brigade (LFB) said.

The woman left the flat before crews arrived, the LFB said.

Flames could be seen from the top of the block as dark plumes of smoke drifted into the sky.

London Fire Brigade sent 70 firefighters to the scene after the blaze was reported at 8.02pm on Tuesday.

It had received 18 calls about the blaze.

Station commander Pete Johnson, who is at the scene, said: “Crews were faced with a lot of smoke issuing from the top of a block of flats on arrival.

“There was also lots of visible flame which has prompted a high number of calls to our control officers.

“There are a number of road closures in place.”

Fire crews from Battersea, Fulham, Wandsworth, North Kensington and surrounding fire stations are at the scene.

An LFB spokesman said the cause of the fire is not known at this stage but that it had been brought under control at 8.53pm.