Catford fire: 70 firefighters tackle blaze in high rise on day Grenfell report released

The London tower block fire comes on the day the Grenfell inquiry report was released

Dozens of firefighters tackled a blaze at a high rise block of flats in London on the same day a damning report into the Grenfell tragedy was published.

Ten fire engines attended the blaze at a block of flats on Rosenthal Road, Catford, where black smoke and large flames were seen billowing out of upper storey windows on Wednesday. Two flats on the ninth and 10th floors of the tower block were found on fire, with footage showing dozens of passersby watching the dramatic blaze.

Around 50 calls were made to emergency services by concerned onlookers, before the LFB arrived to tackle the fire in south east London - which was under control by 2:14pm, the fire brigade said in a statement.

The LFB are now investigating the unknown cause of the tower block blaze, which has left a section of the building blackened. There have not been reports of any injuries.

Have you been affected by this incident? If so, email alex.croft@independent.co.uk

The fire is now under control, the fire brigade said (Councillor James Walsh)

The brigade was first called at 12:51pm, and crews from Forest Hill, Greenwich, Deptford, Lee Green and surrounding fire stations were dispatched to the scene. Rushey Green is closed between Rosenthal Road and Honley Road, the LFB added.

The London Ambulance Service also sent a number of staff to the scene, but have not treated anyone following the fire.

Lewisham Council said on X that council staff “remain on the scene to support residents”, confirming that no injuries had been reported.

No injuries have yet been reported (Thomas Chapman)

Speaking out on the fire in Catford, the Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission wrote on X: “The news reports of a fire in a residential block of flats in Catford are deeply concerning to all of us. Our thoughts are with the residents and community who are affected, and we pray for their safety.”

The blaze comes on the day that the 1,700-page report of the six-year long Grenfell inquiry found that government ignorance and corporate greed contributed to the 2017 inferno in which 72 people lost their lives.

Keir Starmer told the House of Commons today that is “imperative that there is full accountability, including through the criminal justice process, and that this happens as swiftly as possible”.

The highest floors of the Catford block of flats appear burnt out by the blaze (Councillor James Walsh)

Grenfell Tower was covered in combustible materials due to “systematic dishonesty” and “greed” from the corporate cladding firms, the final report concluded.

The inquiry also revealed a “deliberate and sustained” manipulation of fire-safety testing and data by companies such as Arcon and insulation firms Kingspan and Celotex.

All 72 deaths were avoidable, the report found, with successive governments under David Cameron and Theresa May failing to take action on numerous warnings about the dangers of certain cladding materials from 2012 to 2017.