London firefighters battle major blaze in the City as Aldgate tower block fire leads to road closures
A major fire is currently raging near Aldgate East station as dozens of firefighters are battling a huge blaze.
Social media images have shown smoke across Canada after a fire appears to have broken out on one of the floors of the Crawford Building on Whitechapel High St.
The London Fire Brigade (LFB) confirmed that 25 engines and around 125 firefighters were called to the building, which is used for flats and offices.
Firefighters were tackling a fire on the 17th floor of a 21-storey building, with 999 officers taking more than 50 calls.
Everyone has been evacuated from the building now, Network Homes confirmed.
The LFB said it was called at 15.53 and the cause of the fire is not known at this stage. The brigade said it sent one of its 64 metre ladders to the scene.
In an update on Twitter on Monday evening, the LFB said it was still tackling the blaze.
The Whitechapel Road / Aldgate East intersection has been closed, with disruption for traffic.
Onlookers said they could see pieces of the building falling into the street with the public advised to avoid the area this evening.
One person nearby reported glass falling from the building and “smashing on the ground” by the entrance to the Tube station.
According to social media reports, the residents of the building had been raising the fire safety issues with the building for years.
A spokesperson for Network Homes said: “As soon as we became aware of the situation we sent a team to the building to provide support to residents, and they remained on site into the evening.
“Network Homes is a leaseholder of 75 flats across floors 7-11 of this building. Overall responsibility for the building lies with the freeholder, and we actively engage with their managing agent on fire safety measures.”
More to follow…