19-storey tower block reportedly clad with flammable panelling catches fire in London (VIDEO)

Firefighters in the UK’s capital were dispatched to a blaze at a 19-storey apartment block in east London, with ambulance crews and command support vehicles also on the scene. The fire brigade said the blaze is now under control.

In a statement on Friday morning, the capital’s firefighters said “we have sent a number of resources, including ambulance crews, clinical team managers, an incident response officer, a command support vehicle, an emergency planning and resilience officer, and our hazardous area response teams.”  

London Fire Brigade said that around 125 firefighters and 25 fire engines were on site to help bring the situation under control at New Providence Wharf in east London where smoke could be seen emerging from the 8th, 9th and 10th floors. 

The London Ambulance Service said that some people required medical attention. “They have treated a number of people and remain at the scene, where they are working with other emergency services.” 

According to the fire service, two men had been taken to hospital and a further “38 adults and four children have been treated at the scene by London Ambulance Service crews for shock and smoke inhalation.”  

In a tweet, shortly after midday, the fire brigade said the blaze had been brought under control. 

Reports suggest that the building was clad with Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) panels, a flammable substance often used as a rainscreen, and that talks to replace the panels had been going on for a number of years.

Replacing such panelling has supposedly been a government priority since a fire tore through Grenfell Tower in 2017, killing 72 and injuring many more. The fire was caused by an electrical fault in a refrigerator, but its spread was exacerbated by flammable exterior cladding on the building. 

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