Terrified residents have described fleeing for their lives after an explosion ‘like thunder’ as a roof collapsed over their heads in the middle of the night.
Locals in the affluent west London district of Notting Hill have been speaking today of their shock and fears for their rented homes after the incident in the early hours.
Firefighters evacuated 11 people from their properties after what was described as a ‘catastrophic structural collapse’, with reports a front gable end on a row of houses gave way – with three properties affected by the collapse.
All residents were said by officials to have been safely rescued from the properties in McGregor Road, with no major injuries.
One man was this morning seen wearing a helmet as he was escorted by firefighters to safety after becoming trapped inside his basement flat.
He had initially been missed by rescuers and was found when a surveyor heard his shouts.
Another person needing to be brought out last night had their emergency exit blocked by rubble, so had to be escorted down by a ladder.
Others departed via an internal staircase, with everyone given helmets for fear for tumbling rubble.
Residents have told of their shock after a roof collapse in Notting Hill, west London, today
A neighbour named Lina (pictured) told of her concerns for her own property
Rubble lay toppled on the pavement in the west London district today following the incident
There are now concerns that the multi-million-pound properties in the street could be structurally unsafe.
Peter McGowan, 56, was in the flat with his mother Mary, 87, when he heard a noise ‘like thunder’ – as emergency services were alerted shortly after 1am.
He told MailOnline: ‘It was a massive noise – I thought we were in the middle of a thunderstorm. The whole wall just came down.
‘My mum was in the front room and we just heard this big boom. Literally it had just – the whole room. It’s not easy for my mum to be out of her little flat.
‘It was really loud and I was waiting for the rain to come – and then I walked into the front room and saw it all.
‘I was out an hour or so before it happened. If that had landed on you, you’d be dead.’
A man rescued from his basement flat this morning said he was woken by a loud explosion with rubble surrounding his home and blocking his escape route.
Philip, who did not wish to give his surname, has lived in the street for 16 years and told the Metro: ‘How I wasn’t killed I do not know.’
He was not found until this morning when a shocked council surveyor heard his shouts.
‘The surveyor said “the whole place is meant to be evacuated what are you doing there?”,’ he said.
‘You have got to laugh.’
Some of those in need have been put up in a nearby Premier Inn by their housing association, while others were being accommodated in the Kensington Hilton.
A man, named only as Philip, was this morning rescued from his basement flat after initially being missed by rescuers
Peter McGowan, 56, was in the flat with his mother Mary, 87, when he heard a noise ‘like thunder’ – as emergency services were alerted shortly after 1am
A crane can be seen this morning outside the properties in Notting Hill
There are reports a front gable end on a row of houses gave way – with three properties affected by the collapse
Bricks and rubble piled on the pavement after the roof collapse last night
One local told of waking up to a loud ‘cracking’ noise before seeing neighbours fleeing from their properties
Firefighters assess the damage outside some Notting Hill flats this morning
Some of the rubble landed just inches away from people’s motors — March 19, 2025
One resident could be seen trying to get into her flat while workers turned her away – with her red Hyundai car still in front of her home today, covered in rubble.
She said: ‘That’s my flat. You can still see the tissues in the window. This is my home.’
Neighbours in the road, where homes sell for more than £4.2million, remained in shock this morning as workmen cleared loose bricks from the damaged buildings.
Posh cars including a Mercedes convertible were still shrouded in dust beneath housing development flats affected by the early-morning collapse.
Peter Bedbrook, 44, works for architecture firm Susd, who operate their practice around the corner from Mcgregor Road.
He said: ‘If you own a Victorian building it is incumbent on you to make sure you maintain it well.
‘Unfortunately those areas up on roofs are not easily inspected.
‘If one section falls it could be frost getting into the brickwork, brickwork could be damaged and the mortar can then become damaged, how it is tied back to the party walls could have been impacted, there could be issues with drainage.
‘Potentially the middle section of the three went and it pulled the other two with it.
‘It could be a number of reasons but clearly the impact has been impacted and then when that goes the weight is going to pull the rest of it with it.
Emergency services were called to the residential area of west London following the collapse
Rubble was seen strewn across the street in Notting Hill in the early hours of Wednesday
‘It is probably something to do with the parapet, it could have been an issue with that and then also with the brickwork and it has pulled everything forward.
‘I’m going to be walking around today just looking up!’
Another resident, who did not want to be named, said she had been woken by the horror scene.
She said: ‘There was this big crash and what woke me up is suddenly I could see through my curtains flashing lights.
‘There was a fire engine there and hundreds of accident response vehicles.
‘Thank god it happened so late because no one was out and no one was hurt.
‘It’s going to be a big issue now because a lot of the houses on that side are social housing scattered with private.’
A housekeeper named Lina, who works on one of the buildings next to the damaged homes, said that she could not get in to work and was worried now for her own house.
She told MailOnline: ‘They say the roofs just collapsed. It’s terrifying. I work here everyday. I’m worried about the house and I’m not sure I can go in now.
‘When I got into the road I knew something bad had happened – the roofs just collapsed. It’s so weird.’
A worker for the not-for-profit Notting Hill Genesis housing association said all of the people in the home had been placed in temporary accommodation.
When asked what had happened another said they were still trying to work it out.
One resident said: ‘It was all of a sudden – I just felt like there was an explosion.
‘I came out and there was dust all over the place and realised that it was the roofs. It was really scary because I thought it was a real explosion and cars alarms were going off.
Residents were forced to evacuate in the middle of the night as three roofs collapsed
‘It was really scary and the woman there was shouting. Luckily it was not in the morning when people were walking up and down.’
Another added that everyone on the street was woken up by a ‘big bang’ and car alarms, saying: ‘There was a big bang and then that was it – it was terrible.
‘Most people woke up and then there were the car alarms. Now we’re worried for our house as well. You don’t know what else is coming down there.’
Esme Wilks-Marsh, 22, lives opposite the levelled buildings and said she rushed out into the street to see if she could help.
She said: ‘The whole road shook. I opened the window and tried to speak to the neighbours and shout across to them.
‘People started coming out to the street and trying to see if everyone was ok.’
Sean Covey, 66, from nearby Lancaster Road, said: ‘There’s new wood where it has collapsed.
‘Notting Hill Genesis are very frustrating landlords.
‘I have friends who deal with them a lot and it’s just like talking to a tin can.’
Fire crews were first alerted to the incident at 1.10am, sending two fire engines from the North Kensington station plus a fire rescue unit from Chelsea.
Also deployed was a 32m-tall turntable ladder from Paddington fire station.
Crews left the scene at about 3am but a police cordon remained in place.
One local told of waking up to a loud ‘cracking’ noise before seeing neighbours fleeing from their properties.
Fire crews were called to the scene in Notting Hill, west London, shortly after 1am today
They said: ‘There was this awful cracking sound, then crashing. We thought a tree had fallen or a vehicle had hit the house – when we realised it was the roof collapsing, people were running out in panic.’
London Fire Brigade assistant commissioner Pat Goulbourne said: ‘The first of our fire engines were on scene within three minutes of being notified about this incident.
‘The crews were the first emergency responders to arrive and quickly set about determining whether anyone was still inside the properties.
‘The majority of residents who were still inside were brought to safety by crews via an internal staircase.
‘One person, whose home was on the lower ground floor, saw their exit blocked by rubble so firefighters used a ladder to bring them to street level.
‘Residents were also provided with helmets from the fire rescue unit as a precaution as they were leaving the property to protect them in the event of any further falling rubble.
‘Crews carried out a systematic search of the building to check no one else was inside and after liaising with partners at the scene, left the incident in the care of emergency service colleagues and the local authority.’
A spokesperson for Kensington and Chelsea Council said: ‘We were alerted to a possible roof collapse in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
‘Officers immediately rushed to the scene to assess the incident and establish if residents needed support from the council.
‘Thankfully no one was injured and we provided accommodation and refreshments for residents who needed somewhere to stay.
Firefighters stayed there until 3am and a police cordon remained in place
‘Our structural engineers and building control team were on site very early this morning and are assessing the structures.
‘We anticipate disruption in the local area, including road closures, throughout the day. We’re grateful for the swift work of the emergency services.’
The local authority also thanked the nearby Kensington Hilton hotel ‘for helping us find rooms quickly’.
A Notting Hill Genesis housing association spokesperson said: ‘Firstly, we want to say thank you to the emergency services who helped our residents leave the building safely and ensured no-one was injured.
‘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.’
