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Six people, including a 3-week-old baby, were killed and 30 people had to be rescued when fire ripped through a high-rise apartment building in London on Friday, emergency services said.

London Fire Brigade said the dead were three adults and three children, including a 3-week old baby and a 7-year-old.

The brigade said 18 fire engines and more than 100 firefighters were called to the blaze in the Camberwell area of south London at around 4:20 pm (1520 GMT).

The fire started on the fourth floor and spread quickly to seven floors of the 12-storey building, part of a large 1960s public-housing project.

The brigade said 30 residents had been rescued from the building "in extremely difficult circumstances."

One of the firefighters said London''s current summer heat wave may have helped the fire spread, in particular that windows may have been left open.

The London Ambulance Service said 12 people were being treated in local hospitals, most suffering from smoke inhalation.

Four hours after it began, the fire brigade said the blaze was under control and investigators were on the scene to determine its cause.