FIRE AT DEPTFORD WASTE FACILITY CLOSES RAILWAY LINES INTO LONDON BRIDGE

A fire at a waste facility in Deptford, southeast London, forced the closure of all railway lines between London Bridge and New Cross on Tuesday evening. Around 100 firefighters from fifteen fire engines responded to the blaze on Landmann Way. Network Rail stated that significant smoke rendered it unsafe for trains to operate, resulting in service cancellations and delays of up to 100 minutes. London Fire Brigade received its first of over 160 calls reporting the incident at 7.59pm.

The fire involved approximately 50 tonnes of household waste stored at the facility. London Fire Brigade described the incident as protracted, with firefighting operations expected to continue through the night. Station commander Duncan Rees reported that crews were working in difficult conditions and deployed both a 32-metre ladder and a 64-metre ladder as water towers to tackle the flames from above. The cause of the fire remained unknown at the time of reporting.

Local residents were advised to keep doors and windows closed because of the large amount of smoke produced by the blaze. Firefighters from East Greenwich, Old Kent Road, Deptford and surrounding stations attended the scene. Members of the public were asked to avoid the area. Disruption to rail services between the two stations was expected to continue pending the resolution of the firefighting operation.