The blaze spread to four floors within the five-storey block of flats
By Jess Warren & PA news agency
BBC News
About 80 people have been evacuated from a block of flats after a fire in south London.
One witness reported seeing adults and children running from the five-storey building after the fire broke out in Whitehorse Road, Croydon, at about 17:00 BST.
About 60 firefighters are dealing with the blaze and people have been urged to avoid the area.
London Fire Brigade (LFB) said the cause was not yet known.
Image source, @bannerworx
Two people were treated at the scene of the fire by paramedics
Station commander Chris Young said: “Around 80 people left the building.
“Road closures are expected to be in place for a number of hours this evening and we’re urging people to avoid the local area.”
The London Ambulance Service (LAS) said it treated a man and a woman at the scene.
Image source, Simon Bates
The fire caused traffic queues in the area
Witness Allan Brown, 44, who lives and works in Croydon, said: “From where I was standing, which was quite close at one point, many residents, including children, could be seen running from the building’s lower floor, with some residents trying to get back into the building.
“This was before the fire department arrived with the first two engines. There were residents leaving the building and trying to get back into it, but the blaze was very high.
“We had to clear the area due [to] the smoke that filled the area.”
The LFB sent eight engines to the scene, with police and ambulance crews also responding.
The brigade said it received more than 30 calls about the fire, with crews from Croydon, Woodside, Wallington and surrounding fire stations deployed to the scene.
An LAS spokesperson said it sent an ambulance crew, an incident response officer and members of our Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) in response.
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