High Street fire: the scene from the town centre this afternoon around 5pm
There has been a fire reported on Croydon High Street, close to the largely disused and derelict St George’s Walk.
The fire was opposite the Grants multiplex and not far fom the Spreadeagle pub and Croydon Town Hall on Katharine Street.
One passer-by reported hearing explosions going off, possibly from small canisters of lighter fuel.
It is an area which in recent months has often been used for shelter by the homeless, with tents and bedding on the pavement outside the seemingly abandoned housing development.
There have been no reports from the emergency services as yet, for an on-street blaze that appeared to have started around 5pm.
Video of the incident from a loyal Inside Croydon reader shows lots of smoke billowing along the junction with Park Street.
In one video, shoppers and pedestrians can be seen fleeing the site of the blaze as the volume of smoke emitted increases.
But in another video (shown above), plenty of other members of the public are standing at a distance, watching events unfold.
The fire was quickly contained when the London Fire Brigade responded to the call-out, and they were able to confirm that a homeless person’s bedding had caught light.
Quick shout: firefighters had contained the fire within 25min of getting the call
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: “Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters tackled a fire at a disused building on Park Street in Croydon.
“A tent and camping equipment at the front of the building was destroyed by fire. Wooden hoarding panels on the ground floor and the overhanging fascia of the building were partially damaged by fire.
“There were no reports of any injuries.”
The fire was under control within 25 minutes of the Brigade getting the call out.
“The cause of the fire is under investigation.”
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ROTTEN BOROUGH AWARDS: In January 2024, Croydon was named among the country’s rottenest boroughs for a SEVENTH successive year in the annual round-up of civic cock-ups in Private Eye magazine
