The London Fire Brigade was called to Richmond Road at 2.24pm today (March 16) to reports of a disused building on fire.
In total, 15 fire engines responded, and around 100 firefighters have been tackling the blaze.
Pictures from the scene suggest that the fire has broken out at the historic cinema building , which has also previously been used as a bingo hall.
The building, which sits at the junction between Richmond Road and Canbury Park Road, is Grade II listed.
One eyewitness called Chelsey, who did not give her surname, told this paper that she was alerted to the fire by a bus driver.
“It was a bit stressful trying to work out what was happening with buses,” she explained.
“Luckily, a bus driver on an SL7 shouted out to us all waiting outside John Lewis on Wood street and told us that there was a fire and no buses were coming.
“This is when I walked over to the bus exchange and saw the smoke and fire engines.”
Crews from Kingston, Surbiton, New Malden, Twickenham, and Richmond are at the scene. It is not known at this time how the fire started.
Station Commander Will Thompson, who is at the scene, said: “Crews are making steady progress in tackling the fire.
“There are road closures in place, and we urge people to avoid the area to help reduce disruption.
“The fire is producing smoke, so we advise local residents to keep their windows and doors closed.
“Two of the Brigade’s 32-metre turntable ladders are being used as observation towers, providing incident commanders with an aerial view to improve situational awareness and inform tactical decisions.”
