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A major fire that broke out on Beckenham High Street in south-east London resulted in the near-destruction of a mixed-use building's roof, but quick action by the London Fire Brigade (LFB) saved the adjacent Odeon cinema.
The emergency call came in just before 08:00 BST, prompting a massive response of ten fire engines and approximately 70 firefighters to the scene.
The blaze quickly took hold, completely gutting a large section of the roof of the commercial and residential property.
Station Commander Tony Perks, who was at the scene to oversee the operation, confirmed that while the roof was largely destroyed by the time the crews had brought the fire under control, the critical objective of preventing further spread had been achieved.
“We did stop the fire from spreading to neighbouring properties,” he said, confirming the beloved cinema was spared any significant damage.
The severity of the blaze and the close proximity of the surrounding buildings necessitated the large-scale deployment of resources to contain the flames and ensure they did not jump to the cinema or other local businesses and homes.
The cause of the fire is now under investigation, but the LFB’s successful containment operation prevented what could have been a far more catastrophic incident, sparing the Odeon cinema from damage and ensuring the structural integrity of the adjacent properties.