Firefighters tackle the blaze which was contained to the fifth floor [LFB]

HUNDREDS of people have been moved into emergency accommodation and told they are unable to return to their homes until next week following a tower block flat fire.

Seven people were taken to hospital for burns and smoke inhalation treatment following the blaze in Falkirk House, Maida Vale, on Tuesday around 9.45am.

Some residents were led to safety in “escape hoods” – kit that temporarily filters toxic smoke to make breathing easier – as more than 100 firefighters doused the flames for three hours.

The cause of the fire, which was contained to a single flat on the fifth floor, is unknown.

But residents have been told they cannot go back due to the spread of smoke throughout the 17-storey block and water damage from the emergency response.

Maida Vale ward Cllr Nafsika Thalassis-Butler said: “I’m sure everyone did their best but some people were not housed until midnight and a lot of very vulnerable people waited a long time.
“There is a lot of uncertainty about when people will get back.”

One of the block’s residents told Extra: “I left the building about 9.30am to grab a coffee and just saw the block’s WhatsApp was exploding. We were allowed to go back in to get some things but we can’t stay. There was a lot of smoke in the stair-well and that is the reason why we can’t go back.”

The resident said they had been put up in a good hotel and that while it was frustrating, the city council “have done a good job in my opinion”, adding: “But I am a glass-half-full kind of person.”

Nine people were treated for burns and for the effects of smoke inhalation at the scene, London Ambulance Service said.

London Fire Brigade station commander Emma Carr said: “Our control officers took more than 20 calls to the fire and gave vital fire survival guidance to two residents inside the building on how to stay safe before crews arrived.

“Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus led 24 people to safety, including 15 using fire escape hoods.” LAS crews treated nine people on scene and seven people were taken to hospital. “One of the brigade’s 32-metre turn-table ladders was used as a water tower to tackle flames from height. The wind was causing smoke to spread across the area. People who live or work nearby were advised to keep windows and doors closed,” she said.

The Falkirk House tower block does not have any cladding, such as had to be removed following the Grenfell Tower fire disaster in 2017.

A Westminster City Council statement said: “We are supporting residents affected by a fire this morning at Falkirk House in Maida Vale. The fire was contained to one flat. However, there has been significant water and smoke damage, requiring the building to be evacuated. Due to the number of properties affected the council is advising residents to stay with family and friends where possible tonight and is p­roviding on-the-ground support to those who need alternative accommodation, particularly vulnerable residents.”

• Up to 57 individuals and 20 companies could face criminal charges over the Grenfell Tower fire disaster, which claimed the lives of 72 people in June 2017, the Metropolitan Police has said.

Potential offences under consideration in­clude corporate gross negligence manslaughter, fraud, health and safety breaches, and misconduct in public office. In an update at New Scotland Yard, the force said it would submit evidence files to the Crown Prosecution Service by the end of September this year.