A man rescued from a burning building and taken to hospital by air ambulance for burns is now fighting for his life. His condition has been described as critical by police.

The man was found by firefighters in the Studio 338 in Boord Street, in Greenwich, east London, BBC reports.

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Fourteen people have also been arrested on suspicion of arson at the Studio 338 bar which is located the A102 and near to the O2 Arena, the Express reports. They are being held at a south London police station. A A recycling yard and some industrial units were also on fire.

In addition to the first and ground floors of the club, the fire had spread to an industrial warehouse and a scrap paper processing yard which housed a number of outbuildings.

One hundred firefighters are battling the fire at the club. They were called to the scene at around 11.40am on Monday (8 August). A tower of black smoke billowing hundreds of metres into the air could be seen 12-miles west in central London.

Fire station manager Winston Douglas said: "This is a large fire ... our 999 control officers took over 50 emergency calls. Our firefighters are making steady progress but they will be at the scene for the rest of the day and possibly into the evening so please try and avoid the area if possible."

In a statement, the club general manager said that the blaze which started just before midday has now been totally extinguished. "Although this is of course a very sad and upsetting day for everyone who has worked, performed or partied at Studio 338, right now we have to stay positive and strong."

He said: "Finally, with regards to upcoming events and tickets etc, the vast majority of you have understood that today is of course a bit early to even think about that. Our first priority is people's safety and understanding what has happened.

The manager continued: "Once we have had a chance to at least get an idea of the impact this has had, we will get straight onto what can be done for the near future and pre-booked tickets for events, which may now not be able to go ahead at 338.

He promised: "I and the awesome team here will do everything and anything to get us all back dancing together as soon as possible."

Greenwich fire
A huge fire has erupted at a building in north Greenwich IBTimes UK