Fifteen fire engines and around 100 firefighters were called to a fire at a property on Perry Vale in Forest Hill.
The fire involved a building made up of a shop on the ground floor, a basement, and a flat on the first and second floors of the building. The whole building has sustained significant damage as a result of the fire. A storage area to the rear of the shop was also severely damaged by fire.
One man was injured in the incident. He did not require hospital treatment. Two people and one dog escaped the flat before firefighters arrived via a first-floor flat roof and were assisted to ground level by members of the public.
Around 15 people were evacuated from surrounding buildings and they were taken to a rest centre. The majority of these residents were able to return home overnight; however a small number remain in the care of the local authority.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Jamie Jenkins, who was the Incident Commander, said: “Firefighters were met with a fully-developed fire and they worked extremely hard for several hours to prevent the fire spreading to neighbouring properties.
“This was a protracted incident with crews working through the night to fully extinguish the fire. We deployed two of our 32-metre turntable ladders as water towers to help put out the fire from above.
“Whilst the fire was ongoing, we advised people in the local area to keep their windows and doors closed due the smoke travel from the incident. This smoke travel also resulted in the temporary closure of Forest Hill Station.
“An investigation into this fire remains ongoing; however I can confirm that the fire is being treated as accidental and is believed to have originated in a storage area.
“A small number of crews remain at the scene today extinguishing hotspots and assisting with the investigation.”
Forest Hill Station Commander, Mike Watts, said: “A 25-metre cordon remains in place and Perry Vale is currently closed to traffic; however the station reopened earlier this morning.
“The Brigade has worked closely with the local authority to support those affected by this fire. We will continue to have a visible presence in the area and will be liaising with local residents and businesses, sharing fire safety advice with them.”
The Brigade received the first of 52 calls at 1827 and Control Officers mobilised crews from Forest Hill, Lewisham, Beckenham, West Norwood and surrounding fire stations to the scene, along with two 32-metre turntable ladders. The Brigade also deployed a drone to provide the Incident Commander with a greater situational awareness of the fire.
The fire was brought under control by 2344.
The cause of the fire is being treated as accidental and is believed to have originated as a result of hot works taking place in the storage area to the rear of the shop.