Firefighters struggled for twelve hours to get a huge roof fire in Deptford under control yesterday afternoon and evening.
The fire brigade was called at about 1pm on Tuesday (April 26) and finally got the complex fire under control, using 64-metre and 32-metre ladders.
The fire was still not completely out on Wednesday morning (April 27) and firefighters remained at the scene.
Some thirteen people were evacuated from the building. It is still unclear what caused the fire, which destroyed the roof and damaged the outside of the building.
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Group commander Richard Tapp, who was at the scene, said: “This was an intense fire located in the roof of the building and fire crews worked hard in challenging conditions.
“The fire was behind a number of voids which meant access was difficult and led to this being a protracted incident.
“It was a complex fire to fight and the roof of the building was destroyed.
“Crews initially worked to ensure there were no people inside the building and carried out a systematic search of all flats.
“We had two of our 32m ladders and a 64m ladder on scene which were key to stopping the spread of the fire.
“Firefighters remained at the scene throughout the night damping down any hot spots and will be there throughout today (Wednesday).
“Our Fire Investigation team will be there later today to begin their work to establish the cause and investigate all aspects of this significant fire.”