Aldgate fire: Hundred firefighters sent to high-rise blaze on Whitechapel High Street

Glass panels drop hundreds of metres to ground as flames envelop floor

More than 125 firefighters have been dispatched to a blaze in a high-rise building in east London which sent glass panels crashing to the ground.

The London Fire Brigade (LFB) said that 20 fire engines have been deployed to the scene on Whitechapel High Street in Aldgate.

The fire broke out on the 17th floor of a block of flats, LFB said.

Glass panels that were on the building dropped hundreds of metres to the ground, footage showed.

There are multiple road closures in place, including Whitechapel High Street between Commercial Road and Old Castle Street, and Commercial Road itself.

A LFB spokesperson said: “Crews are tackling a fire on the 17th floor of the building. The Brigade’s 64m ladder has been mobilised to the incident.

“The Brigade’s 999 Control Officers have taken more than 50 calls to the blaze.

“The Brigade was called at 15:53. Fire crews from Whitechapel, Shoreditch, Dowgate, Bethnal Green, Dockhead, Old Kent Road, Islington and surrounding fire stations are at the scene.

“The cause of the fire is not known at this stage.”

In an update shortly before 6pm, the LFB said their crews were still tackling the fire.

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said “more than 125 firefighters are working hard to tackle a fire at a block of flats and offices on Whitechapel High Street”, adding that he was in close contact with the capital’s fire commissioner, Andy Roe.

The fire broke out on the 17th floor (JamieLFC_1892)

People have been advised to avoid the area and those living or working locally are being told to keep their windows closed and stay indoors while firefighters tackle the blaze.

Twenty fire engines are at the scene (hils234)

Paramedics were called to the scene just after 4pm.

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We sent an ambulance crew, an incident response officer, a team leader in a fast response car and members of our hazardous area response team.

“We are working closely with our emergency service colleagues, more updates to follow.

“If you are in the local area, please try and stay indoors and keep windows and doors closed.”

The Metropolitan Police said the building is being evacuated.

A spokesperson for the force said: “We were called to the scene at 15.55 to reports of a fire on Whitechapel High Street by the emergency services. The building is being evacuated.”