The emergency services have swarmed a hotel in London after a fire broke out on its top floor. Around ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters have raced to the fire along Amhurst Road in Hackney.
Locals have been urged to keep their windows and doors closed due to thick smoke billowing into the sky. The London Fire Brigade says the fire has affected two rooms on the fifth and sixth floor of the building. All occupants were safely evacuated from the building, and there are currently no reports of injuries.
“Please avoid the area if you can at this time,” the London Fire Brigade said in a statement.
“The Brigade received the first of 14 calls about the fire at 1652 and Control Officers have mobilised crews from Homerton, Bethnal Green, Shoreditch, Islington and surrounding fire stations to the scene.”
A 32-metre turntable ladder from Tottenham Fire Station has also been in attendance and deployed as an observation tower to provide the Incident Commander with a greater situational awareness.
The blaze has also sparked traffic in the area, close to Hackney Central station. The cause of the fire is under investigation.