Huge fire engulfs 27-storey London tower block

Flames and smoke engulf a 27-storey tower block in Latimer Road, West London, on Wednesday morning. (Reuters photo)

LONDON - A huge fire engulfed a 27-storey block of flats in west London on Wednesday morning, injuring a number of people.

Massive flames licked up the sides of the block as 200 firefighters battled the blaze along with 40 fire engines. Flumes of black smoke billowed into the air.

London Fire Brigade said the fire had engulfed all floors from the second to the top of the Grenfell Tower on the Lancaster West Estate in west London.

Some people were trapped in the fire, with residents desperately shouting for help from windows on upper floors as the fire spread, some British media reported.

"A number of people being treated for a range of injuries," police said. "Residents continue to be evacuated from the tower block fire."

Huge fire breaks out at a tower block in North Kensington, London. @LondonFire is on the spot. #Fire #NorthKensington pic.twitter.com/N4bDUp4BRn — Sohail Khanzada (@SoheilKhanzada) June 14, 2017

The cause of the fire, which broke out just after 0000 GMT, is not known at this stage, the Fire Brigade said.