Major Fire on Shepherd's Bush Road
Homeless women held on suspicion of arson
A major fire has hit a hostel on the Shepherd's Bush Road on Monday morning (29th July). The fire is believed to have started before 7.00am. The fire spread to the roof of Shepherd's Bush Baptist Church.
Fifteen fire engines and seventy five firefighters were involved in tackling the blaze.
Jennifer Morrow, 36 years old of Shepherds Bush Road, W6 appeared in custody at West London Magistrates Court tomorrow on Wednesday charged with arson offences.
People were evacuated from the building and no casualties have been reported. The hostel houses single homeless people of all ages, some of whom have mental health issues. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Five Red Cross emergency response volunteers and an emergency response unit attended the scene, handing out hygiene kits and blankets and providing emotional support to displaced residents evacuated to a rest centre in nearby Bush Green, which had been set up by the local authority.
Jonathan Edmondson, the British Red Cross emergency response operations manager, said: "We can never be sure of the scale of an incident when we are called out; the volunteers have done a fantastic job supporting residents and we are very glad to have been able to help them. We are always ready to respond to help vulnerable people in incidents like this, and our volunteers' training in practical and emotional support means that we have the skills to help people effectively when they need it most."
July 31, 2008
