A cleaner and a mother and baby had narrow escapes today after a fire ripped through a West Kensington terraced house.

The woman cleaning the property in Edith Road heard the smoke alarm at about 1pm and managed to escape before London Fire Brigade sent eight fire engines with 60 firefighters and officers to the scene.

Another woman and a baby also escaped from the next door property before firefighters arrived and all three were treated by London Ambulance Service for smoke inhalation.

The fire has badly damaged the second floor and loft conversion of the three-storey Victoria town house, as well as part of the neighbouring property’s loft conversion.

A London Fire Brigade spokesman said: “The Brigade was called at 1.04pm and the fire was under control at 3.34pm. Fire crews from Kensington, Chelsea, Hammersmith, Chiswick, Soho, Paddington and Battersea fire stations are attending the incident.

“The cause of the fire is not known at this stage and crews will remain at the scene for some time damping down the fire.

Traffic was running very slowly going southbound in North End Road between the A4 and Dawes Road in Fulham due to the fire.