Around 100 firefighters and 15 fire engines are battling a blaze at the BBC‘s former headquarters, the Television Centre in west London.
The London Fire Brigade (LFB) said fire crews are in attendance at the nine-storey building on Wood Lane, White City, after being called to the scene shortly after 3am on Friday.
One person was treated by paramedics at the scene, but did not need hospital treatment.
The fire is affecting floors towards the top of the building, which include a restaurant and an area of external decking and ducting, television studios, and an unknown number of flats which have also potentially been affected.
LFB and the Metropolitan Police have evacuated nearby buildings as a precaution with a rest centre being set up for those who had to leave their homes.
According to footage from the scene shared by LFB, the fire appears to be affecting the Helios Building at Television Centre, the former home of the BBC.
The broadcaster was primarily based out of the location until 2012, and the website for the Helios Building says it currently accommodates 162 homes, along with a gym and a 47-bedroom hotel.
Wood Lane is closed to traffic and people are advised to avoid the area. LFB says is expects to remain on site ‘throughout the day’.
Photos from the scene show large plumes of smoke still rising from the building on Friday morning.
The London Fire Brigade (LFB) said fire crews are in attendance at the nine-storey building on Wood Lane, White City, London
The fire is affecting floors towards the top of the building, which include a restaurant and an area of external decking and ducting, television studios, and an unknown number of flats
The brigade said first reports of the fire were received at 3.08am and crews from Hammersmith, North Kensington, Kensington, Chiswick and surrounding fire stations were mobilised to the scene.
Two 32-metre turntable ladders are being deployed as water towers to help extinguish the fire from height.
The cause of the fire is not known.
Li Mei, 36, who lives in a luxury apartment block across the road, said: ‘I got up this morning and my partner told me to look out of the window.
‘There was so much smoke – we were worried it was going to get worse. Thank God it seems like nobody has died.’
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: ‘Thanks to the hardworking firefighters who continue to tackle a major fire in White City. Residents have been safely evacuated, with a rest centre in place.
‘Wood Lane remains closed, and crews are expected on scene throughout the day.’
The Salvation Army is on site handing out sandwiches to emergency workers.
LFB and the Metropolitan Police have evacuated nearby buildings as a precaution with a rest centre being set up for those who had to leave their homes
A spokesperson for the London Ambulance Service said: ‘We were called at 3.13am today to reports of a fire on Wood Lane in White City.
‘We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, an incident response officer and our hazardous area response team.
‘We have treated one patient and discharged them at the scene.
‘The incident is ongoing and we remain on scene as a precaution, working closely with our emergency services partners.’
At around 11am on Friday, LFB announced its crews were making ‘steady progress at the fire’.
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: ‘The Brigade was called at 03:08 and Control Officers have mobilised crews from Hammersmith, North Kensington, Kensington, Chiswick and surrounding fire stations to the scene.
‘Two 32-metre turntable ladders are also attending and are being deployed as water towers to help extinguish the fire from height.
‘The Brigade’s drone team is also in attendance, providing the Incident Commander with a greater situational awareness of the fire.
‘The cause of the fire is unknown at this time.’
The Television Centre was home to the BBC’s TV output from 1960 until 2013, when operations moved to Broadcasting House.
The centre was then refurbished and reopened in 2017 as a mixed-use complex featuring residential apartments, retail, offices, and three studios for television production.
