About 22 people evacuated after blaze at BBC’s former HQ Television Centre

About 22 residents were evacuated after a blaze at the old BBC Television Centre in London’s White City.

Fifteen fire engines and around 100 firefighters were called to Wood Lane at 3.08am on Saturday, London Fire Brigade (LFB) said.

The fire affected the top floors of the nine-storey building, a restaurant, external decking and ducting were alight and damaged by the fire, the brigade added.

A number of flats were also affected by the fire due to smoke and water damage.

One person was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation by London Ambulance Service crews, LFB said.

Firefighters worked alongside multi-agency partners, including the Metropolitan Police, to evacuate about 22 residents from the building – and buildings in the area were evacuated as a precaution.

A rest centre was set up for residents who were evacuated from their homes.

Station commander Graham Beers said: “Crews have been working hard all day in challenging conditions to bring the fire under control.

“This was a complex fire at the top of the building and firefighters worked tirelessly to prevent the fire from spreading. Two 32-metre turntable ladders attended and were deployed as water towers to help extinguish the fire from height. The brigade’s drone team also attended, providing the incident commander with a greater situational awareness of the fire.

“It is expected crews will remain at the scene of the fire throughout the evening.”

A resident who lives in converted flats in the old BBC Television Centre said: “I got woken up by my girlfriend at 3am who was coming back from work – we could really smell the smoke, it was quite thick.

“We could see about 100 firefighters and at least eight or nine fire engines that were all parked up. I could just see a red glow.

“It was glowing really intensely, it almost looked like a portal to the underworld. It was quite sinister.

“We were in a different part of the building on the other side of the complex, so I wasn’t evacuated or instructed by any firefighters, but they seemed very on it.

“They were, you know, very professional, from what I could see.”

LFB was called at 3.08am and crews from Hammersmith, North Kensington, Kensington, Chiswick and surrounding fire stations were sent to the scene. The fire was brought under control at 5.01pm.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the brigade’s fire investigation unit.

The BBC was primarily based at Television Centre until 2013 before moving to its current location at Broadcasting House.

The site still includes television studios where popular shows such as Loose Women and Good Morning Britain are filmed. The BBC Studios office is not believed to have been affected by the fire.

The website for the Helios Building says it currently accommodates 162 homes, along with a gym and a 47-bedroom hotel.