A major incident unfolded in Beckenham High Street after a disused kebab shop, situated near the local Odeon cinema, caught fire, prompting a massive response from the London Fire Brigade (LFB).
The blaze broke out just before 08:00 BST and quickly took hold, with the roof of the mixed-use building being largely destroyed by the time crews arrived.
Station Commander Tony Perks, who was at the scene, confirmed that the LFB's swift action prevented a far greater tragedy, stating, 'We did stop the fire,' thereby saving the adjacent cinema complex.
Local residents were urgently advised to keep their windows and doors shut due to the significant volume of smoke travelling across the area.
The incident required a considerable allocation of resources, with ten fire engines and approximately 70 firefighters working to bring the inferno under control.
The cause of the fire has not yet been detailed, but the incident underscores the challenges faced by emergency services in tackling large-scale urban blazes, particularly when they threaten major commercial or public spaces.
The successful operation to contain the fire, despite the destruction of the initial building, has been hailed as a testament to the quick and decisive actions of the attending LFB crews, preventing what could have been a total loss of the well-known cinema.
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