Notting Hill residents were forced to flee their homes in the middle of the night after part of their roof dramatically collapsed.
They evacuated the three terraced homes used as flats on McGregor Road, in west London, at around 1am on Wednesday after the front gable end of the roof crumbled onto the pavement.
Rubble could be seen scattered across the ground and front gardens of the homes as two fire engines and dozens of firefighters rushed to the scene.
Footage showed a resident, who had lived in the ground floor flat for 20 years, being rescued from the building by three firefighters.
In the clip, he could be heard saying the collapse was “disgusting” as he stood next to dozens of broken bricks and dust on the road.
One resident was also rescued by a 32-metre fire engine ladder from the top of the building after their emergency exit was blocked by falling debris, the London Fire Brigade said.
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea said no one was injured and it was supporting those evacuated with temporary accommodation.
A spokesperson 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 to the swift work of the emergency services.”
London Fire Brigade assistant commissioner Pat Goulbourne added: “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.”
