Fire crews tackle blaze at sports shop and flats
Firefighters were called to a fire at a property on Perry Vale on Thursday evening
- Published
Around 100 firefighters and 15 fire engines were called to a blaze at a shop and flats in south-east London, the London Fire Brigade (LFB) has said.
Crews brought the fire under control after tackling the flames for more than three hours at the property in Perry Vale, Forest Hill - a shop on the ground floor with flats above.
An image posted on social media by LFB showed firefighters outside skiing and snowboarding store Finches Emporium, while eyewitnesses' videos captured flames and billowing smoke.
Part of the ground floor shop and a workshop at the rear of the store remained alight early on Friday.
Around 15 people left surrounding buildings due to the fire, but there were no reports of injuries.
The cause is currently unknown.
The fire brigade said it received the first of 49 calls at 18:27 BST.
Station Commander Anthony Lewis, who is at the scene, said: "This will be a protracted incident, with crews working through the night to fully extinguish this fire."
He also warned of "significant traffic disruption" in the Forest Hill area, including on the A205 South Circular Road, where a large cordon has been erected.
A 32-m (104-ft) turntable ladder was used as a water tower to extinguish the fire from above.
Crews from Forest Hill, Lewisham, Beckenham, West Norwood and surrounding fire stations were deployed.
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