Three men have died after a fire ripped through a single-storey pavilion in White City, west London, on Saturday evening. Firefighters rescued the men from the building on New Zealand Way, close to Queens Park Rangers' Loftus Road stadium, but two were declared dead at the scene and the third later died in hospital.
The blaze broke out at 6.52pm, prompting 19 calls to the London Fire Brigade. Around 100 firefighters and 15 fire engines were dispatched, drawing crews from North Kensington, Acton, Chiswick and surrounding stations. They battled the inferno for more than two hours, bringing it under control by 9.25pm. Just over half of the pavilion's structure was destroyed.
“Three men died after a fire destroyed a pavilion in White City, west London, on Saturday evening.”
"Sadly, three people have died following a fire on New Zealand Way, White City," said Assistant Commissioner Pat Goulbourne at the scene. "The fire involved a single-storey pavilion, with just over half of the structure damaged by the fire." Goulbourne added that three men were rescued and treated by paramedics from the London Ambulance Service.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the brigade's specialist fire investigation officers and the Metropolitan Police. The force said it is "working to inform" the families of the victims.