Inquiry into fatal London tower block blaze begins

London: Residents of flats in which a blaze killed six people said their call for its demolition three years ago was refused.

Police and fire officials are investigating the cause of a fire that ripped through a block of flats in south London killing six people, including three children.

The blaze at Lakanal flats in Sceaux Gardens, Camberwell, began on the fourth floor of the 12-storey block on Friday afternoon and was said by firefighters to have "spread rapidly" to the 11th floor. A three-week-old baby, a six-year-old and a seven-year-old were killed, along with three adults.

Neighbours described the panic as those inside the building tried to flee.

"The people were in the windows, screaming out for help," said Lincent Johnson, 28, who lives across the street. "There was panic, there were a lot of people screaming."

Abenet Tsejage saw people screaming for help and said she saw one mother dangle a baby from a window as if she was about to drop the child. But she said the woman did not let go and she believed they had been rescued.

"Quite a few people were in shock and very upset," said Tsejage, who has lived in the area for 15 years. "It makes you really frightened. As a community you would like to give all those who live there a home but you just don't know how to help."

Carol Cooper, 38, who lives on the seventh floor, said the firefighters took too long to evacuate people.

"Everyone was here. But it took too long for them to get in there and do something. It just seemed like it took too long. I think that's because it's just like a maze in there," she said after another tenant added there were 96 flats in the block.

She said the tenants had called for the block to be demolished three years ago but had been told it was a listed building. Instead, the council fitted new windows and electrical cabling.

London Fire Brigade said about 30 people who had been in "immediate peril" were evacuated from the building. The baby, the seven-year-old and an adult woman were pronounced dead in hospital, while the bodies of the six-year-old, a woman in her thirties and another adult were found at the scene, a spokesman said.