Archived on 6/5/2022

House fire in Melford Road

anon27836993

25 May '20

I can see dark smoke from my window looks like it could be in the Forest Hill area or maybe further?? I hope no one was hurt? Looks like it was a fire of come kind?

clausy

25 May '20

A lot less now but smells of burning plastic. Looks like it’s up over Horniman Hill from here

anon27836993

25 May '20

Thank you burning plastic but why? It’s ruining the beautiful sky. Not missing the plane noises it’s been bliss prefer the birds singing.

BigAl

25 May '20

Gross. Some idiot burning plastic I expect which is against the law

Twitter

25 May '20

applespider

25 May '20

Do hope everyone got out safely. What an awful thing to happen and likely to be hard to replace some stuff while in lockdown.

I did hear sirens this morning but it wasn’t til I went out for my run I realised what a huge response it was. And came home to an incident response truck outside my door (parked rather than active)

Sazza

25 May '20

Looks like it was a house fire. Hope that everyone got out ok & all involved are safe.

Sherwood

25 May '20

Burning plastic produces cyanide gas.

anon5422159

25 May '20

Thankfully:

anon5422159

26 May '20

Eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters tackled a fire at a range of houses on Melford Road in Forest Hill.

The fire originated in a mid-terraced house and spread to adjoining properties. The whole of the first floor and the roof of a house were destroyed by fire. Half of the first floor of an adjoining property was also damaged and the roof was destroyed by fire. Half of the roof and part of the first floor of an adjacent property on the other side was also damaged in the blaze. Four people left the building before the Brigade arrived. One woman was treated on scene by London Ambulance Service crews.

A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: “There were smoke alarms in this property, but they failed to alert the residents to the fire.

"We urge people to have working smoke alarms on every level of your home and to test them regularly. Smoke alarms will give the earliest possible warning if a fire breaks out in your home.

"Ideal spots for smoke alarms include rooms where you leave electrical equipment running like satellite boxes, computers or heaters; any room where you smoke, and anywhere you charge your mobile or laptop.

“As a minimum you should have smoke alarms on every floor - in the hallways and the rooms you use the most, plus a heat alarm in the kitchen and the bathroom. They should be tested regularly."

The Brigade was called at 0704 and the fire was under control by 0916. Fire crews from West Norwood, New Cross, Peckham, Norbury and surrounding fire stations were at the scene. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The Brigade’s Fire Investigators believe the cause of the fire was accidental and due to combustible materials being placed too close to a heat source

marymck

27 May '20

Thank goodness no one appears to have been hurt physically. But such an awful thing, especially so in these troubled times. It’s bad enough for the people whose house was the source of the fire, but the next door neighbours will have lost their homes too.