On Friday morning in central London a fire broke out in a block of flats. Most residents of the building had
already left for work and only a few people were inside at the time of the blaze. They were able to escap6 w1h
minor injuries.
At 9.20 am the fire alarms sounded at'17-20 Tower Street, central London. Fire and rescue teams arrived on the scene to find flames shooting out of the basement windows. The fire quickly spread to the floors above.
Residents who were inside managed to get out of the building by way of the firsescape. Two elderly tenants
were helped by rescuers to escape from a third floor balcony. The two lenants, John and Mary Ackerly were treated for the effects of smoke inhalation at St Thomas Hospital and were released shortly afterwards.
The basement, first and second floors of the four-storey building were completely destroyed. Thick smoke filled the third and forth floors but the damage was minimal
Fire investigators suspectthatthe blazewas caused byfaultyelectricalwiring inthebasement. Residentswho
were left homeless by the fire are taking shelter at temporary housing set up
-by
the Red Cross. Fire chief Rick Marshall commented: "The buildings in this area of town are quite old. Extra care and attention is needed when replacing the wiring".
As a result of thefire the city's Building Inspectors willbe checking the recently-repaired wiring in neighbouring
buildings