Mitcham fire: 125 firefighters battle huge blaze in south London as smoke billows across sky
Around 125 firefighters are fighting a huge blaze at an industrial site in Mitcham .
The fire is affecting a tyre centre, workshop and scaffolding yard, the London Fire Brigade said. Around four hectares of surrounding scrubland is also alight.
Twenty fire engines are at the scene near Carshalton Road after firefighters were called to the blaze shortly before 4.30pm.
The fire has closed the rail line between Mitcham Junction and Sutton causing chaos on rush hour Southern and Thameslink services.
A huge fire has broken out in Mitcham Sean Michael The LFB warned the fire is producing a significant amount of smoke and local residents should keep their windows and doors closed.
Road closures are in place on London Road and Carshalton Road at the junctions of Willow Lane, Goat Road and Hackbridge Road.
Footage shared online shows smoke billowing from the fire as firefighters battle the blaze.
The LFB is using specialist wildfire equipment to tackle the blaze as well as a 32 metre turntable ladder to fight the fire from above.
A drone team is providing an aerial view of the fire to help make decisions about tackling the blaze.
Call handlers were flooded with calls about the fire with over 70 calls alerting the LFB, with the first at 4.27pm.
A LFB spokesperson said: “One of the Brigade's Terrain Support Vehicles has been sent to the scene to support firefighting efforts. The vehicle provides off-road capability enabling the transportation of additional equipment closer to fires on open ground.
“Each vehicle carries approximately 475 litres of water, a backpack blower, ear defenders, beaters and misting lance technology, which allows firefighters to pump water and drive, enabling them to tackle grass fires more quickly and safely.”
The local authority Merton Council wrote online: “London Fire Brigade are responding to a large fire in the Mitcham Junction area.
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