Notting Hill horror as people forced to flee homes in the middle of the night as they collapse around them while they sleep
Horrified residents have been forced to flee their Notting Hill homes in the middle of the night as the properties began collapsing around them as they slept.
Firefighters have evacuated 11 people from their houses in west London after what was described as a ‘catastrophic structural collapse’.
It was suggested that a front gable end on a row of houses gave way, with three properties affected by the collapse in the affluent W11 district of the capital.
All residents were said by officials to have been safely rescued from the properties in McGregor Road, with no major injuries.
But one of the people needing to be brought out had their emergency exit blocked by rubble, so had to be escorted down by a ladder.
Others departed via an internal staircase, with everyone given helmets for fear for tumbling rubble.
There are now fears that multi-million-pound properties in the street could now be structurally unsafe, according to reports.
Fire crews were first alerted to the incident at 1.10am, sending two fire engines from the North Kensington station plus a fire rescue unit from Chelsea.
Emergency services were called to the residential area of west London following the collapse
Rubble was seen strewn across the street in Notting Hill in the early hours of Wednesday
Also deployed was a 32m-tall turntable ladder from Paddington fire station.
Crews left the scene at about 3am but a police cordon remained in place.
One local told of waking up to a loud ‘cracking’ noise before seeing neighbours fleeing from their properties.
They said: ‘There was this awful cracking sound, then crashing. We thought a tree had fallen or a vehicle had hit the house – when we realised it was the roof collapsing, people were running out in panic.’
London Fire Brigade assistant commissioner Pat Goulbourne said: ‘The first of our fire engines were on scene within three minutes of being notified about this incident.
‘The crews were the first emergency responders to arrive and quickly set about determining whether anyone was still inside the properties.
‘The majority of residents who were still inside were brought to safety by crews via an internal staircase.
‘One person, whose home was on the lower ground floor, saw their exit blocked by rubble so firefighters used a ladder to bring them to street level.
Residents were forced to evacuate in the middle of the night as three roofs collapsed
Fire crews were called to the scene in Notting Hill, west London, shortly after 1am today
Firefighters stayed there until 3am and a police cordon remained in place
‘Residents were also provided with helmets from the fire rescue unit as a precaution as they were leaving the property to protect them in the event of any further falling rubble.
‘Crews carried out a systematic search of the building to check no one else was inside and after liaising with partners at the scene, left the incident in the care of emergency service colleagues and the local authority.’
A spokesperson for Kensington and Chelsea Council said: ‘We were alerted to a possible roof collapse in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
‘Officers immediately rushed to the scene to assess the incident and establish if residents needed support from the council.
‘Thankfully no one was injured and we provided accommodation and refreshments for residents who needed somewhere to stay.
‘Our structural engineers and building control team were on site very early this morning and are assessing the structures.
‘We anticipate disruption in the local area, including road closures, throughout the day. We’re grateful for the swift work of the emergency services.’
