Over 300 evacuated as building site burns

More than 300 people were evacuated from their homes today as a fire ripped through a building site and spread to nearby flats.

The ferocious blaze began on a construction site in Peckham, south east London, at around 4.30 a.m., and then devastated blocks of maisonettes and a pub.

Emergency workers evacuated 310 people, who were being housed in temporary accommodation while firefighters damped down the site.

Camberwell and Peckham MP Harriet Harman said it was a "miracle" there had been no fatalities. Ten people, including two police officers, were taken to hospital, with minor injuries such as smoke inhalation.

Speaking at the site of the blaze, Ms Harman said the community was in a "state of shock" and praised the courage of the emergency services, saying: "They have been incredibly brave. It's really a miracle that nobody lost their life."

A spokesman for London Fire Brigade (LFB) said the building site near Carisbrooke Gardens first caught light, with gas cylinders possibly involved.

"The fire seems to have spread very rapidly," he said.

Southwark Council said Carisbrooke Gardens, on the Willowbrook Estate, and nearby Oak Court, a mixed development of council and housing association homes, were damaged by the fire.

The Metropolitan Police said the flames had spread to blocks of flats and other properties in Sumner Road and Rosemary Road.

LFB assistant commissioner Steve Turek said: "The ferocity of the fire was a challenge when we first arrived because all the buildings were simultaneously burning.

Council officers will assess how badly the buildings were affected as soon as possible.

Chief executive Annie Shepperd said the blaze would be investigated by the Health and Safety Executive because it started on a building site.

Barman John Osagie, 31, who lives near the site of the fire, said: "I was coming back from work at around 10 to four this morning and I saw the fire. I stood there and waited for the fire brigade to turn up. They tried to stop it but it was getting worse and worse, then they evacuated everybody.

"I was scared and I had to take some of my stuff and come and stand out in the cold."

He said he has "no clue" yet whether his home had been damaged by the fire.

Neighbour Lloyd Simmons was woken up by the fire brigade telling him to evacuate.

He said: "By the time we got out it was all on fire. Of course one would be terrified, it's fire, it's an emergency and you have to respond."

Speaking at the site of the blaze this morning, Ms Harman said the local community was in a "state of shock" and praised the courage of the emergency services.

She said: "They have been incredibly brave to go into these buildings. The heat of the blaze must have been unimaginable. It's really a miracle that nobody lost their life."