Terrified children were left trapped in a six-storey block of flats as a deliberate fire swept through the building’s ground floor storage area on Saturday.

More than 20 people managed to flee the smoke-filled block as the blaze took hold, but several families were forced to stay in their homes as thick black smoke filled corridors and stairwells.

One man was treated for smoke inhalation after firefighters rescued him from his second-floor flat using a cherry-picker, while up to 20 more were told to stay put through the building’s internal phone system.

White watch manager Shawn Howlett said: “It was like a scene out of London’s Burning.

“There were a lot of plastics in the sheds so the smoke was black and thick.

“We weren’t worried about the fire spreading, so we decided people were better off staying in than coming out.

“There was a lot of reassuring to do though because it was quite distressing for them.”

Fire investigators said the blaze had been started deliberately at both ends of the storage shed in Priory Crescent just after noon.

More than 10 per cent of the ground floor was damaged by smoke, with further severe damage throughout the building’s internal passageways.

About 20 firefighters spent more than an hour tackling the fire using hose reels and breathing apparatus, and remained on the scene until 4.30pm while investigations were under way.

Mr Howlett said: “It was very professional, a lot of good work was done by the officers there.

“There was only one minor casualty out of probably 50-odd people, so we were pleased with the job.”

Did you see the fire, or capture it on camera? Contact Mike Didymus on 020 8330 9556, or send your pictures and video to mdidymus@london.newsquest.co.uk.