Landmark blaze: fire crews from Croydon, Beckenham and Woodside were among those who attended the incident last night. Pic: @DRNimages1
Six fire engines were called out to a blaze underneath the No1 Croydon building last night.
The London Fire Brigade this morning clarified that the fire was in a pedestrian subway on Addiscombe Road, close to East Croydon Station, and not as was first reported in “the basement” of the landmark building.
No1 Croydon has attracted a series of affectionate nicknames over the last 50 years, including the Thrupenny Bit Building (for those of a certain age), the 50p Bit Building (for anyone born after 1970…), and even to some The Wedding Cake.
It was designed by noted firm of architects Richard Seifert and Partners, who also designed Centre Point and the NatWest Tower. When the building was completed in 1970, it was Croydon’s tallest building, at 24 storeys and is 269 feet high.
Smoky night: smoke billowed out from a pedestrian underpass by the famous Croydon building
Last night’s fire is now under investigation by the LFB and Metropolitan Police.
According to the Brigade, “around 40 firefighters tackled a fire in a pedestrian subway on Addiscombe Road in Croydon last night”.
In a formal report, the Brigade said, “Half of the subway was damaged by fire. There were no reports of any injuries.”
The Brigade got its call-out at 11.02pm last night, and had the fire under control soon after midnight.
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