Health
A serious fire has swept through a leading cancer hospital in London, forcing an evacuation.
Up to 125 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 fire.
Three casualties were reported - one patient and two firefighters who suffered smoke inhalation. 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.
The Royal Marsden Hospital is a world-class specialist cancer hospital.
Staff estimated that there were between 80 and 90 patients at the hospital when the fire broke out.
Many patients were taken to St Paul's Church in Onslow Square while others were transferred to the Royal Brompton Hospital. Chelsea and Westminster Hospital is treating the three casualties.
The London Fire Brigade (LFB) said it was treating the fire as "very serious".
A LFB spokesman said: "The top floor and the roof is alight and it's still ongoing. We're doing our best to bring it under control."
The LFB said there were no patients in the area where the fire started but it had spread and forced the evacuation.
Ten ambulances, five officers, a hazardous area response team and a fast response car were sent to the scene by the London Ambulance Service.
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.
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.
Iain Heggie, owner of the Crown pub which is next to the hospital, said dozens of patients were evacuated by emergency services.
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.