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Fire at south London council tower block
Dozens of firefighters have been called to a blaze at a council-owned tower block in Battersea, south London this afternoon.
Eight fire engines and 58 firefighters helped battle the blaze at 22-storey Sporle Court in Wandsworth.
According to a statement on the London Fire Brigade (LFB) website, part of a 13th-floor flat has been damaged by fire.
A spokesperson for Wandsworth Council said there were no reports of injuries and the fire was contained within one flat. Residents were evacuated from the building.
Images from the fire posted on social media show smoke billowing up the side of the building, but do not appear to show fire spreading between floors.
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Around 25 calls were made to LFB’s 999 control officers at around 1.07pm on Monday.
The blaze was under control by 2.04pm, LFB said.
The cause of the fire is not yet known.
According to a Freedom of Information response received in February, Sporle Court was last fire risk assessed almost two years ago, on 5 May 2016.
A spokesperson for Wandsworth Council, which owns and manages the building, said: “We can confirm that the council’s housing department is working with the London Fire Brigade to secure Sporle Court and ensure it is safe and habitable.
“The fire was contained within one dwelling and there are no reports of any injuries. Residents were evacuated and a rest centre was provided for them in a nearby library. They are now in the process of returning to their homes.”
The fire comes almost 10 months after the devastating blaze at Grenfell Tower in Kensington killed 72 residents.
Wandsworth has since been progressing a plan to fit sprinklers in 6,400 homes across its 100 tower blocks, a plan which has faced legal challenge from leaseholders who would pick up some of the bill.
