100 firefighters battle huge blaze at Poundland on London high street

A Poundland store on Penge High Street in south-east London set ablaze on early Thursday morning, October 9, prompting a large-scale firefighting operation.

The London Fire Brigade immediately responded, dispatching around 100 firefighters to the scene after the first emergency call at 4:30 a.m. 

The fire engulfed a two-storey terraced building with a large section of the ground-floor Poundland store becoming fully alight.

There were dramatic shots of the firefighters battling the flames, which was 32 meters tall resembling a water tower. 

The drone team of the brigade was also deployed to give aerial shots that would help the incident commander in coordinating the response.

The intense heat and massive thick black smoke forced about 25 people to evacuate neighbouring properties as a precaution.

Local governments recommended that people should not open their windows and doors to avoid the smoke.

The fire caused a great inconvenience as Penge High Street remained closed during the morning and commuters were advised to avoid the area.

The crews of the nearby stations, Beckenham and Forest Hill fire stations, were trying to contain the fire to prevent it from spreading to the neighbouring buildings.

By 8:48 a.m., they were able to control the fire. No injuries have been reported.

Crews are expected to be on the ground the whole day to put out any hot spots.

The fire investigation officers of the brigade are now investigating the cause of the fire.