Homes evacuated in Notting Hill building collapse

People have been evacuated from their homes in west London after a building partially collapsed overnight.

The London Fire Brigade (LFB) said it was called to multiple properties on McGregor Road in Notting Hill at about 01:10 GMT on Wednesday.

The front gable end of a row of three terraced houses, which had been converted into flats, fell to the ground.

Nobody needed medical treatment at the scene, a spokesperson for the London Ambulance Service (LAS) said.

Alice Zielasko, who lives in a street next to McGregor Road, said the damage "looked crazy".

"There were a lot of parts of the building lying on the pavement. When I looked up I saw the roof part was damaged.

"There were I think three cars underneath covered with dust and damaged a little bit. I didn't hear anything in the night."

John Bedeau lives on the ground floor of the building on McGregor Road and was woken up by the incident.

He said: "I was in bed and I heard this rumble, I thought it was some form of earthquake or something, and I just thought 'that sounds strange, and why's the house shaking like that?'

"So I got out of bed and looked through the window and as I opened the door, I saw all the rubble. I couldn't believe it, I thought I was in a movie."

He spent the rest of the night in a hotel and has been told to expect to spend seven days there. His flat is not damaged but all the communal areas "are crushed".

"We're [the residents] still in shock because you don't expect something like this, the top of a house crumbling down. We're trying to get over things, calm down and get back to reality," he added.

A spokesperson for Kensington and Chelsea Council said officers went to the scene to see if residents needed support.

"Thankfully no-one was injured and we provided accommodation and refreshments for residents who needed somewhere to stay."

Structural engineers and a building control team are assessing the situation.

The spokesperson warned of disruption in the local area, including road closures, throughout the day.

The building is managed by Notting Hill Genesis. A spokesperson said: "We are arranging temporary alternative accommodation for the households affected, and will continue to do so until their property has been repaired.

"We have launched an immediate investigation into the causes of this faulty roof and what work needs to be done to ensure our tenants can safely return."

The LFB sent two fire engines from North Kensington fire station and a fire rescue unit from Chelsea fire station to the incident, which was over for firefighters by 03:00.

An ambulance crew and a Hazardous Area Response Team were sent to the scene by the LAS.

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