About 310 people have been evacuated from their homes after a large fire swept through a block of flats in south London in the early hours of Thursday, police said. Dozens of fire-fighters were tackling the blaze in Peckham and some 20 ambulance crews were called to the scene.
Ten people, including two police officers, were treated for minor injuries in hospital. Most were suffering from smoke inhalation. Television pictures of the blaze showed flames bursting from the top floors of a four-storey building and bewildered residents looking on from street corners as fire crews fought the blaze.