Bonfire profanities

Smokey Satsuma writes:

At the risk of being incendiary (...) would it be possible to make an appeal against bonfires?

Brockleyites seem to be increasingly using them as a way to dispose of rubbish. One bonfire can create a huge amount of smoke, and for those of us without hermetically sealed windows and doors that leads to a house full of smoke and it stinks & exacerbates allergies & breathing problems.

Tonight we seem to have two and a large area is cloaked in smoke. (My little girl is currently asleep in a smoke smelling bedroom as a result of a bonfire up the road). Burning green matter & plastics seem to be a particular trend - both generating very smelly smoke (and carcinogenic in the case of plastics).

This area is in fact a smoke control zone, so even smoke coming from chimneys is supposed to be a no-no... Arguably this practice is basically fly-tipping rubbish into other people's air space, and on any view it's not appropriate in densely housed urban areas like Brockley. As green as Brockley is, it isn't the same as living in the countryside!

It would be great if you did feel able to raise this issue.  Our whole house still stinks from this evening's latest pyromaniac!

The Brockhill Crescent Smoke Monster Mystery

David Lives in Brockhill Crescent, West Brockley, in a house that backs on to allotments. The users of those allotments light bonfires on a regular basis, and the smoke keeps flooding into his house, which he says is affecting his health, as well as forcing him to keep doors and windows closed and block his vents.

He has tried contacting Lewisham Council and the DAGA allotment group, but says no-one can tell him who is responsible for the allotments and so he is hoping that BC readers can come to his aide.

If anyone knows who David can speak to about this - or if you are suffering from the same problem - please post below.

Two killed in Ladywell fire [UPDATED]

After some Ladywell garages burned down in April, there are reports of another Ladywell garage fire this morning, with one BCer reporting that two homeless people were killed in the blaze, though this is unconfirmed. The fire brigade is still at the scene.

UPDATE: The London Fire Brigade has now confirmed that two people were killed by the fire. They say:

Firefighters attended a fire at a row of eight garages on Malyons Road in Ladywell, this morning.

One man left before the arrival of the Brigade and was treated for smoke inhalation by London Ambulance Service, before being taken to hospital. Sadly two other people were pronounced dead at the scene.

Most of the garage was damaged in the blaze and a gas cylinder that was inside the garage was cooled down by crews.

Firefighters from Greenwich and Lewisham fire stations attended the incident.

The Brigade was called at 0828 and the fire was quickly under control. The incident was over at 1029.

Ladywell Road fire

@BrockleyCentral big fire at disused garages on Ladywell Riad/Malyons Road. Firefighter injured by falling debris pic.twitter.com/Rnll2eTZrb
— Eleanor Thompson (@ElsKitchenLadyw) April 16, 2015

Catford Bridge Tavern owners say fire changes nothing

Solitaire, the owners of the Catford Bridge Tavern, which suffered a fire during renovation work over the weekend, have confirmed that they still intend to reopen the pub as soon as possible. In the aftermath of the blaze, they issued a statement saying:

Last night, the fire brigade attended a fire at The Catford Bridge Tavern. The fire was extinguished and no-one was hurt. The LFB web site notes that they weren't treating the incident as suspicious.

Everyone working on restoring the pub is pleased that no-one was injured in this unfortunate incident. 

Michael Nicholas from Solitaire Restaurants, owner of The Catford Bridge Tavern, notes: 'We’re not in a position to comment on the fire, but we are working to ensure that the site is safe and secure. Our intention has always been to reopen the pub and nothing has changed in that regard.'

The fact that the owners have so publicly committed to restoring the pub is as refreshing as it is reassuring.

Catford Bridge Tavern burns

Plans for the Catford Bridge Tavern - a pub with a convoluted and problematic recent history - have suffered a setback as the pub caught fire this evening. Catching alight is an unfortunately common problem for Lewisham pubs.

Why my train was cancelled. MT @lewishambirder: Old Copperfield pub, catford still on fire #kent_999s @LondonFire pic.twitter.com/snDwgWVraG
— Will Howells (@willhowells) March 1, 2015

The London Fire Brigade reports:

Eight fire engines and 58 firefighters and officers are currently tackling a fire at a pub under refurbishment on Doggett Road in Catford.

Firefighters led four people to safety from the building and they have been taken to hospital by the London Ambulance Service suffering light smoke inhalation.

The whole of the roof and second floor and part of the first floor is alight. Trains travelling through nearby Catford Bridge station are doing so at a reduced speed. Firefighters from Greenwich, Lee Green, Bromley, Forest Hill, Lewisham, Bromley, East Greenwich and Orpington fire stations are at the scene. The Brigade was called at 1754. The cause of the fire is not known at this time.

Crofton Park bus fire closes Brockley Road

Bus on fire outside my house. I slept through it but friend took a photo while in progress @BrockleyCentral pic.twitter.com/v6qnrt1tHQ
— Andrew Davies (@Spiderham) August 13, 2014

Routes 122 171 172 are back to line of route following earlier diversion due to vehicle fire at Crofton Park Station.
— TfL Bus Alerts (@TfLBusAlerts) August 13, 2014

Albertines clear up underway

Clear-up work has begun at Albertine's, the pub which burned down just as it was being done-up. The roof is gone and the damage was extensive, so this place is unlikely to join the Greater Brockley boozer revival any time soon.

Cannabis fire wrecks Albertines

@MPSBrockleySgt please avoid Lewisham Way due to a fire. @LondonFire on scene & dealing. pic.twitter.com/uaVbx4rpAs
— Sgt Jon Biddle (@MPSBrockleySgt) May 11, 2014

A fire in a cannabis factory in the top floor of the Lewisham Way pub formerly known as Albertines has destroyed the roof of the building and led to major water damage on every floor, including the ground floor bar, which had just been refurbished.

The fire is now out and Lewisham Way has been reopened to traffic. The pub's inglorious history continues.

Three nearby fire stations close as New Cross escapes axe

Woolwich Fire Station closes shortly. 20 protesters, two security guards, two police & more in nearby van pic.twitter.com/W8xVF1ucjX
— Darryl (@darryl1974) January 9, 2014

Ten fire stations across London, including nearby stations in Downham, Southwark and Woolwich have closed today. New Cross Fire Station, which was originally targeted for closure, has been spared.

Knock Down Singe-r

Brockley Rog writes:

Early on Tuesday morning (31st December) a kind passer-by woke me up to let me know that my garden was on fire.

The previous night we had held a party and despite ensuring that our garden clay pizza oven was no longer lit it suffered a catastrophic failure. While we slept it smouldered and then caught light. By 6am there were three meter flames engulfing our garden.

If it weren't for the passer-by the fire would have spread to our house and, but for the grace of god, we may not be here. We rang the fire brigade and the wonderful men and women of New Cross and Deptford Fire Stations arrived quickly and put the fire out.

In the confusion I didn't have the opportunity to thank the person who alerted us. If he is reading this (or someone knows him) I would like to thank him very much. His vigilance (and tenacity in ringing the bell and knocking on the door) meant that we are here.

Two Lewisham fire stations face closure

The BBC reports that New Cross and Downham Fire Stations are threatened with closure in a review of the London service, which is due to go before the fire authority for a vote on 21 January. The BBC says:

Plans to close 12 fire stations in London, with the loss of 520 jobs, have been unveiled. The proposals, announced by London Fire Commissioner Ron Dobson, are part of plans to save £45m over the next two years.

Brockley Councillor Darren Johnson is quoted in the report:

London Assembly Green Party Member Darren Johnson said the public were "desperately worried" about the proposed closures. Rather than cutting council tax the mayor should be providing the funding to keep these fire stations open," he said.

With thanks to Lep Recorn for the heads-up.

Jam Circus to remain closed this week

Lucy from Jam Circus updates us:

Unfortunately we had a large fire in the early hours of Sunday morning, everything is OK and no-one was hurt. We will be open as soon as possible but we will closed for the rest of this week.

If you have a booking with us we will be in touch as soon as possible. 

We would like to thank everyone for their huge show of support and we will keep you updated via twitter and Brockley Central.

The BC Drinks planned for tonight will now take place at The Orchard.

Jam Circus damaged by fire

Jam Circus was closed today as a result of a fire that took place early on Sunday morning. Staff confirm that although there was "quite a bit of damage," no-one was hurt.

Jam Circus was due to be the venue for tomorrow night's BC Drinks. We'll update you shortly about those plans.

House fire on Chudleigh Road

The London Fire Brigade reports:

Nine residents evacuated from a house fire on Chudleigh Road in Brockley after their smoke alarm woke them up [this morning].

Four fire engines and around 20 firefighters attended the house which was converted into bedsits in the early hours of this morning. The fire is believed to have started in the kitchen and damaged a small amount of the ground floor.

Watch Manager Nicholas Rogers said: “Nine people left the property before we arrived. Thankfully no one was injured but this incident could have been a lot worse if the smoke alarms had not woken them up. I urge everyone to have at least one smoke alarm as they give you a vital early warning if you have a fire.”

The Brigade was called at 0544 and the fire was under control by 0609. Fire crews from Forest Hill, New Cross and Lewisham fire stations attended the scene. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Telegraph Hill bus fire

Thanks to Ian and Ben, who sent us these photo of a bus and car fire on Telegraph Hill at the top of Pepys Road, which occured at approximately 8.30am today. The fire is now put out and you can see photos of the wreckage on Transpontine's blog and the best photos of all on Demotix.

Ben has also provided us with video of the fire:

And here is a shot we got of the bus being towed away:

The Daily Mail has a report of what happened, quoting one passenger, saying: 'People were saying the driver saw a spark. He got everybody off the bus and within minutes it was ablaze.'

Another big fire in Deptford

A major fire is taking place in Deptford (which has suffered more than its fair share of serious fires in recent years).

London Fire Brigade says:

10 fire engines and 50 firefighters at a fire in a tower block on Abinger Grove, Deptford. Half a 4 room flat is alright. We believe the fire at the tower block in Abinger Grove is now out. Three people were rescued by crews in breathing apparatus.

The fire is also causing serious traffic problems in Deptford tonight.

Deptford Bridge remains closed this weekend

853Blog tweets to say that the local traffic chaos that followed the fire at Deptford Bridge is set to continue for an indefinite period this weekend as the A2 will remain closed according to BBC London:

A2 London - A2 Deptford Broadway in Deptford closed and queueing traffic between Deptford Bridge and the A2211 Lewisham Road junction, because of demolition work and earlier building fire. Diversion in operation - affecting bus routes 53 and 177, with route 453 stopping at New Cross. Congestion to New Cross. Also affecting A206 Greenwich High Road at A2 Blackheath Road.

But is it art? Gas explosion outside the Art House

Thanks to Ben, who sent us the link. We have no more information, but as you can see for yourselves, there was a protracted flatulent incident on Lewisham Way today.

Fire at Brockley Cross launderette

Fire engines are currently on the scene at Brockley Cross, where a portacabin behind a launderette has caught fire. On Southeastcentral.co.uk Brockley Ben reports that Mantle Road, Endwell Road and Brockley Cross have been temporarily closed to traffic.

For a photo of the blaze, click here.