Roof collapses after huge fire at abandoned Southall church
Around 70 firefighters tackle towering church blaze in West London.
Ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters were called to a dramatic blaze at a derelict church in Southall overnight.
Crews rushed to South Road late on February 22 after more than 20 emergency calls alerted the London Fire Brigade to the fire. At its peak, flames had taken hold of most of the ground floor, upper levels and the roof of the disused building.
Despite the scale of the incident, no injuries have been reported.
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said firefighters used two 32-metre turntable ladders as water towers to battle the flames from above, helping bring the fire under control shortly after midnight.
“The fire was brought under control overnight with crews deploying 32-metre turntable ladders as water towers to tackle the fire from above,” the spokesperson said.
Firefighters remained at the scene into the afternoon to fully extinguish the blaze and tackle remaining hotspots before safely handing the site over to partner agencies.
The church suffered severe structural damage, with the roof and upper floors collapsing as a result of the fire. Following an inspection, the building has been declared structurally unsafe.
However, officials confirmed there is no risk to neighbouring properties.
“The building has sustained a significant amount of damage due to the fire, resulting in the collapse of the roof and the upper floors,” the spokesperson added.
South Road was temporarily closed in both directions while emergency services dealt with the incident but has since reopened, with local businesses operating as usual.
London Fire Brigade Control Officers received the first calls at 9.30pm and mobilised crews from Southall, Ealing, Heston and surrounding fire stations. The fire was brought under control by 12.38am.