More than 200 firefighters from all over London were struggling to contain a major fire at a high-rise apartment building in the west of the city early Wednesday, amid fears that people were trapped inside.

According to the London Fire Brigade and the Metropolitan Police, the fire broke out around 1:16 a.m. and quickly engulfed the building, Grenfell Tower, in North Kensington, which appeared to have been gutted.

The London Fire Brigade said the flames had spread from the second floor to the top floor of the 27-story building, which contains some 120 apartments. More than 20 ambulances were sent to the scene. The police said that “residents continue to be evacuated,” but there was no official statement about deaths or serious injuries, and the cause of the fire was not immediately known.
The London Ambulance Service said it had taken 30 patients to five hospitals.

At dawn, the blaze still burned brightly against the pale sky, with columns of thick black smoke ascending. Ashes filled the air, and small explosions could be heard as helicopters flew overhead. Firefighters on the ground trained hoses on the building. The police were extending their cordon around the building and pushing people back, apparently fearing that the building could collapse.