Destruction: the blaze spread from the common to industrial units, destroying nine of them
A massive fire spread from the tinder-dry grassland of Mitcham Common towards industrial units off Carshalton Road and destroyed two houses, an industrial skip and 30 scrap vehicles, the London Fire Brigade confirmed today.
Nine industrial units were also destroyed.
There were fears that the fire might spread to the Beddington landfill site, which is full of highly combustible gases. But its advance was halted 200 yards short of this potential disaster.
There are no reports of any casualties, though four people were evacuated before the fire brigade arrived and the railway line between Mitcham Junction and Sutton was closed because of the dense smoke, causing chaos Southern and Thameslink services until the end of the day.
Damage control: it took more than 120 firefighters four hours to stop the fire spreading further
Overnight rain will have assisted the firefighters in damping down the embers, with about 20 acres of scrubland on Mitcham Common destroyed in yesterday’s fire.
There were 20 fire engines and around 125 firefighters called out to the blaze, with crews from Mitcham, Wallington, Norbury and surrounding fire stations taking four hours to get it under control.
Smoke stack: railway services were halted and residents advised to close their windows
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Metropolitan Police and LFB.
Station Commander Jim Berry, who attended the scene, said: “Firefighters were mobilised to a complex fire, which destroyed nine industrial units, two houses, 30 scrap vehicles and an industrial skip. The fire also destroyed around eight hectares of scrubland and grass on an adjacent common.
“Due to significant smoke travel in the area, local residents were advised to keep their windows and doors closed. Several road closures were also in place around Carshalton Road.
“To support firefighting efforts, one of the Brigade’s Terrain Support Vehicles was sent to the scene. The vehicle provides off-road capability enabling the transportation of additional equipment closer to fires on open ground.
“One of the Brigade’s 32-metre turntable ladders was deployed to the scene as a water tower to help fight the fire from above. The Brigade’s Drone Team also attended the scene to provide an aerial view of the fire.”
The Brigade says that it took the first of more than 100 calls at 4.27pm and that the fire was under control by 8.28pm.
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