Two people were rescued from a West London block of flats today after a flames 'ten feet high' engulfed the block.
Smoke could be seen from more than three miles away after fire crews were called at 9am this morning to Notting Hill Gate.
One man was dragged to safety from an internal stairwell while a woman was plucked from the third floor by fire crews using a ladder.
More than 30 fire fighters descended on the five storey block of flats near Marks and Spencer as residents said it was sparked by an 'unattended candle' in an upper floor flat.
Dozens of people were forced to leave their homes after a fire engulfed the second floor.
American tourist Fred Marks, 69, a retired pilot from Boston, was staying in an Airbnb flat within the building when the fire alarms sounded.
He said: "I was told someone on the second floor lit a candle and it caught fire.
"The alarm went off. I went to the front door and there was a lot of smoke. I grabbed my important items and went outside.
"The corridor was full of smoke and you could barely see. The third floor was fully engulfed in flames which were pouring out of the window.
"The flames were ten feet high."
The London Fire Brigade said it received more than a dozen calls from the public today.
Station Manager John Ryan said: "When crews arrived they were could see flames coming out of a flat on the second floor. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus rescued a man via an internal staircase from the flat affected. He is being treated at the scene by London Ambulance Service crews.
"A woman has also been rescued from a third floor window via aerial ladder platform. Around 30 residents self evacuated from the block."
