A man was treated at the scene after escaping a fire that damaged two flats close to a historic church.

The fire brigade was called to flats in Bartholomew Close, close to St Bartholomew the Great's Church in the Barbican area at 3.58pm.

The fire brigade's 999 control officers took more than 35 calls.

At its height, eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters had been sent to the blaze.

One man left the building before the fire service arrived and was treated on scene by London Ambulance Service crews.

The fire was under control by 6.13pm.

Most of a four-roomed flat on the third floor of a residential building was damaged by fire.

Part of another flat on the fourth floor was also damaged by the blaze. 

Station Commander Steve Howlett, who was at the scene, said: "Firefighters worked incredibly hard to ensure everyone was accounted for and there were no remaining hot spots.

"The Brigade's Drone Team were able to use drones to survey the incident from above and relay images of hard-to-reach areas to incident commanders."

Fire crews from Soho, East Greenwich, Lambeth and surrounding fire stations attended.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.