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Fire forces hospital's evacuation Fire forces hospital's evacuation
(41 minutes later)
Patients are being moved from a London hospital after a "very serious" fire broke out on the top floor. A "very serious" fire has swept through a leading cancer hospital in London, forcing its evacuation.
About 40 firefighters are tackling the blaze at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Fulham Road, Chelsea, west London. Up to 75 firefighters are tackling the blaze at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Fulham Road, Chelsea, west London.
Much of the roof has been destroyed by the blaze which started at 1320 GMT and sent smoke billowing into the air.Much of the roof has been destroyed by the blaze which started at 1320 GMT and sent smoke billowing into the air.
In nearby Dovehouse Street several patients have been laid on mattresses in an ambulance area and others have been led away wrapped in blankets. The burning building has now been fully evacuated. Several patients were laid on mattresses in a street and others were led away wrapped in blankets.
They were taken to a nearby church.
The London Fire Brigade (LFB) said it was treating the fire as "very serious" but so far there are no reported injuries.The London Fire Brigade (LFB) said it was treating the fire as "very serious" but so far there are no reported injuries.
An LFB spokesman said: "We're currently evacuating patients. We don't have numbers at the moment." The Royal Marsden Hospital is a world-class specialist cancer hospital.
'Huge plume''Huge plume'
A LFB spokesman said there were no patients in the area where the fire started but it had spread and forced the evacuation.
Guy Foster said: "There are crews are at various levels inside the building trying to control the fire which has spread fairly extensively through the roof space."
Ten ambulances, five officers, a hazardous area response team and a fast response car were sent to the scene by the London Ambulance Service.Ten ambulances, five officers, a hazardous area response team and a fast response car were sent to the scene by the London Ambulance Service.
A spokesman said: "Our crews are currently remaining on standby but there are no reports of any casualties at this stage."A spokesman said: "Our crews are currently remaining on standby but there are no reports of any casualties at this stage."
It's unbelievable what would happen if it burned down Professor Ray Powles
Around 100 patients are thought to have been taken to a nearby church where they are being cared for by nursing staff.
Other patients have been transferred to the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and the Royal Brompton.
Roads closed
Professor Ray Powles, former head of haematooncology at the Royal Marsden, said the loss of the hospital would be a "huge step back" for cancer treatment.
He said: "It's unbelievable what would happen if it burned down. It would be a huge, huge step back for all the patients being treated there, and a huge, huge step back for cancer."
But he said valuable research material would not be lost as there was a second site in Sutton.
Both Fulham Road and Sydney Street have been closed and crowds have gathered at the perimeter to watch the scene.Both Fulham Road and Sydney Street have been closed and crowds have gathered at the perimeter to watch the scene.
Mark Purcell, spokesman for the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, said patients could be transferred there from the Royal Marsden.
He said: "I've just been there and there is a huge plume of smoke coming out of the building.
"Nurses are outside attending to patients and handing out blankets.
"I think some of the patients will get transferred to other hospitals, including the Chelsea and Westminster, but we have not received any patients yet."
Pablo Pico, who works at a nearby book shop, said: "There is a lot of smoke and we can see a lot of ashes flying over.Pablo Pico, who works at a nearby book shop, said: "There is a lot of smoke and we can see a lot of ashes flying over.
"There are ambulances coming down the street still and helicopters overhead."
The manager of Finch's bar, which is near the hospital, said: "There's an extremely large volume of emergency vehicles coming down at the moment."
The Royal Marsden was the first hospital in the world dedicated to cancer treatment and research into the causes of the disease.The Royal Marsden was the first hospital in the world dedicated to cancer treatment and research into the causes of the disease.
With its academic partner The Institute of Cancer Research, it forms the largest comprehensive cancer centre in Europe, seeing more than 40,000 patients from the UK and abroad each year.
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