A WOMAN is trapped on the 17th floor of an apartment building after hell breaks out, causing huge glass to shatter on the ground.
Smoke enveloped the capital and 60 people were evacuated after yesterday’s fire at the Relay Building on Whitechapel High Street.
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A huge fire has engulfed a building in Whitechapel, London, forcing frightened residents to evacuateCredit: PA
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The street was cordoned off as glass and debris fell to the groundCredit: Twitter/@422error
Footage of the fire shows shards of glass and other debris falling to the ground from the 23-story building.
Residents told The Sun that the fire alarm went off when the flames broke out.
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Surprisingly, no one was seriously injured, although two people were hospitalized.
The London Fire Brigade said one resident was trapped on the 17th floor as flames erupted around her.
Brave firefighters managed to bring the woman to safety using an internal staircase.
Station Commander Chris Jenner, who was present at the scene, said: “It was a dynamic and visible fire with our 999 air traffic control officers taking over 50 calls in the early stages.
“The woman was trapped due to the nature of the fire on the 17th floor.
“The security officers gave her advice on surviving the fire until the firemen found her. Firefighters used a fire hood to guide the woman to safety using an internal staircase.
“About 60 people evacuated the building, the rest remained in their undamaged apartments.
“We mobilized a 64-meter turntable to the scene. This is the highest fire escape in Europe and it allowed us to supply water to the fire outside the building.
“The professionalism, diligence and quick action of the controllers and firefighters limited the damage to the unit and prevented serious injury.”
“NO SIGNALS”
Offices occupy the lower levels of the tower, while residential properties occupy the upper floors. The fire broke out on the 17th floor.
The London Fire Brigade bravely jumped into the fire to save those inside.
At the height of the incident, 125 firefighters were on the scene.
At least 50 panicked residents called 999 after spotting a fire at the intersection of Commercial Street and Whitechapel Road in Aldgate.
Eyewitnesses claimed that they could still see people on the balconies during the evacuation.
The shocking video, filmed from a building across the street, shows smoking debris falling to the ground.
The resident said he had to flee the building after his neighbor knocked on his door to tell him their house was on fire.
The man, who declined to be named, told The Sun: “There were no alarms, so I had no idea.
“They didn’t even call in the hallway.
“We ran straight down the stairs to the street, it was very scary.
HORRIBLE FLAME
“The building has problems with electricity, so there have been several fires in the past, but not that much.
“I was on the 11th floor and I know people from the 18th floor who were also evacuated.
“I think everyone managed to leave in time, which is a big relief.”
Another witness said she saw babies and mothers gathered in the street outside.
“I am very shaking. I’m just worried about everyone who lives there,” she said.
“So that there are no alarms in a building like this – all I can say is that I live in a bungalow and will never leave the bungalow.”
The cause of the fire is not known at this stage.
A spokesman for the London Ambulance Service said: “We sent a number of resources, including two ambulance crews, a team leader in a rapid response vehicle, an incident response officer and members of our danger zone response team, with the first of our medics arriving four hours later. hours. minutes.
“We took two patients to the hospital and treated two more patients on the spot.”
Anyone who works or lives nearby has been urged to keep windows closed to keep smoke out.
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One resident told the Sun he didn’t hear any alarms – not even as the flames engulfed the 17th floorCredit: PA
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About 125 firefighters arrived at the scene this afternoon, the street was cordoned offCredit: BPM
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Broken glass appeared to cover the road next to the buildingCredit: Twitter