Met officers praised for building fire rescue

Two Metropolitan Police officers who ran into a burning building to evacuate residents have been praised by the force.

Emergency services were alerted to reports of a fire in a three-storey building on High Street in Willesden, in north-west London, at about 13:10 GMT on Friday.

A Met spokesperson said officers "immediately recognised the dangerous situation unfolding in front of them, with smoke billowing from windows and reports of people still inside a flat on the first floor".

The two officers, and members of the public, went in and evacuated residents from the first floor before helping a man trapped in the floor above to escape out of a window using a ladder at the back of the property.

The London Fire Brigade (LFB) said five people had been evacuated before its crews arrived, when a further two residents were rescued from a roof using an extension ladder.

Three residents and one of the officers, who is aged in his 20s, were taken to hospital for treatment due to smoke inhalation, the Met said. No-one was seriously injured.

Cdr Paul Trevers said: "The actions of these officers exemplify the qualities that run through the core of our officers in the Met Police – bravery, tenacity and above all a desire to keep the public safe when faced with danger.

"Confronted with a terrifying situation and knowing that people were at risk they did not hesitate in going into that building to protect the lives of others."

He also praised the members of the public who helped evacuate the property.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, the LFB said.

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