Penge fire: 100 firefighters rush to major blaze as entire high street shop goes up in flames


Residents were urged to close their doors and windows
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Around 100 firefighters have been called to battle a major blaze on a high street in south east London.
Fire crews rushed to Penge High Street at around 4.30am following multiple calls from the public.
Pictures show huge flames coming from a Poundland store, with a large part of the shop's ground floor alight.
Around 25 residents living nearby were evacuated to a nearby rest centre.
People in the local area were urged to close their doors and windows due to the smoke.
No one was said to be injured in the fire.
Orange flames could be seen towering above the rooftops of houses nearby.
Fire crews used a 32-metre ladder to douse the fire from above.
Flames could be seen towering above rooftops near to the scene of the fire
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London Fire Brigade said the cause of the blaze was under investigation.
A statement from the fire service read: "Around 25 people have been evacuated to a rest centre as a precaution from neighbouring properties, and people in the local area were advised to keep their windows and doors shut due to the smoke.
"There are no reports of any injuries. There is significant traffic disruption due to the number of appliances and the High Street is closed. People are advised to avoid the area.
"The Brigade's Control Officers took the first of ten calls reporting the fire at 4.30am.
"Crews from Beckenham, Forest Hill, Woodside, West Norwood and surrounding fire stations were mobilised to the scene, and firefighters were able to bring the fire under control by 8.48am.
"Crews will remain on scene through the day to fully extinguish any remaining hotspots."
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Footage captured this morning shows black smoke filling the air
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Poundland has said it is "concerned" about the blaze at its Penge store.
A spokesman for the shop chain said: "We were made aware of the fire in the early hours of this morning and are obviously concerned at what’s happened.
"We’re sincerely grateful for the prompt attendance of the fire service and we’re on site alongside them, to help them in any way we can.
"We’ll provide additional updates when we’re able to do so."
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