Firefighters are battling a major blaze at a multi-dwelling block on Parchmore Road, Thornton Heath, with a number engines and specialist rescue teams at the scene.
The London Fire Brigade (LFB) was called just after 5.30PM on Sunday evening (February 16) to reports of a well-developed fire inside a flat. Emergency crews, including the London Ambulance Service’s Hazardous Area Response Team (HART), have also been deployed following concerns that the property may have been occupied at the time of the fire.
Emergency Response and Road Closures
A significant number of fire resources have been dispatched, with a hose laying vehicle also called to assist with water supplies to help tackle the flames.
As a result, police have closed Parchmore Road at its junction with Beulah Road, and bus services, including the 250 route, have been diverted.
Eyewitness Accounts
Residents and bystanders reported thick black smoke billowing from the affected building.
One witness said:
“It was chaos—sirens everywhere, and you could see the flames coming out of the windows.”
Another local resident added:
We saw people running out of the building, and the firefighters were rushing in with breathing apparatus. It’s really worrying.”
Fire Brigade Statement
A spokesperson for the London Fire Brigade at the scene confirmed:
We have deployed fire engines to a well-developed fire in a residential property on Parchmore Road, Thornton Heath. Crews are working quickly to bring the situation under control and ensure the safety of anyone inside the property.”
The cause of the fire remains unknown at this stage, and fire investigators will be assessing the scene once the blaze is under control.
A spokesman for London Fire Brigade said: Ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters are responding to a fire on Parchmore Road, Thornton Heath.
The fire is located in the roof space of a residential block of two floors. Traffic in the surrounding area will be impacted as crews respond.
The Brigade received the first of eight calls reporting the fire at 1725, and Control Officers mobilised crews from Norbury, West Norwood, Woodside and surrounding fire stations to the scene.
The cause of the fire is not yet known.
