Thick black smoke billowed over south London on Monday evening as a major fire tore through a recycling centre in Bermondsey, bringing rush-hour rail services to a standstill and forcing firefighters to warn residents to keep their windows shut.
About 100 firefighters and 15 fire engines were called to the blaze on Landmann Way just after 5.30pm, with crews from Deptford, Old Kent Road and Greenwich dispatched alongside two 32-metre turntable ladders. Station Commander Wayne Bloomfield, speaking from the scene, said: “Firefighters are working hard to extinguish a large amount of refuse at a recycling centre. The fire is also affecting a warehouse unit.”
“100 firefighters tackle massive blaze at Bermondsey recycling centre, causing rail chaos and smoke over London.”
The flames sent huge plumes of smoke high above the city, visible for miles, as commuters found themselves stranded on trains or at stations. Passenger Grace Greenwood, travelling on the 6.10pm service through London Bridge, told Metro: “The smoke was visible from quite a way before we went past the fire. As we went past there were still large visible flames and firefighters tackling it.”
The fire quickly disrupted rail travel across the capital. Southeastern Railway announced that Hastings line services were starting and terminating at Tonbridge, while Thameslink said all lines were blocked between London Bridge and Dartford. The Windrush line saw no service between Surrey Quays and New Cross, Crystal Palace, West Croydon or Dalston Junction to Highbury & Islington, with severe delays on the rest of the line. National Rail said disruption was expected to continue until 10.30pm. Trains were diverted to London Victoria or revised or cancelled.
Bloomfield warned the incident was likely to be protracted, with crews remaining on scene into the morning. Loose embers had been reported, he said, advising residents to pour water on them if concerned, but to call 999 if anything caught alight. A London Fire Brigade spokesperson added: “Due to the significant amount of smoke in the area, local residents are advised to keep their windows and doors closed.”
The fire comes three years after a similar blaze at a recycling centre in south-west London, when 15 fire engines and about 100 firefighters were called to a fire in Herne Hill that led to a building partly collapsing, though no injuries were reported.
For now, the cause of the Bermondsey fire remains unknown, and firefighters continue to battle the flames into the night.