Around 100 firefighters and 15 fire engines were eventually called to tackle the blaze which had broken out at a block of flats in Hatcham Park Mews which thankfully everyone escaped from – but it left dozens of people homeless.
Some members of the south London community, not wanting to sit back while neighbours were in need, stepped up.
In the hours and days that followed, displaced families were offered shelter, food and empathy with a string of online fundraisers also set up.
London Fire Brigade (LFB) said 34 residents were relocated to Wavelengths Leisure Centre in Deptford, which acted as a rest centre throughout the night, as well as a nearby hotel.
However there was a third premises which turned into an emergency refuge centre on the night of the fire.
The Five Bells pub on New Cross Road, at the junction of Hatcham Park Road, stayed open until 6am on Thursday morning, which allowed impacted residents to shelter inside and firefighters were able to use the toilets throughout the night.
Pub landlord Joshua Burton said: “I just tried to do what I felt like I was supposed to do with the position that I’m in.
“I think even if I lived locally I would have tried to do something.
“I think it’s something I was always aware of about pubs; it used to be a crisis point in British culture.”
He added: “Normally my licensing hours are until 11pm but it was at that point I could clearly see the fire wasn’t stopping and there’s a load of people in here, most of whom are from the flats.
So I thought ‘I’m just going to stay open’ – not in a service way – but I’m just going to at least stay open.”
On Wednesday night and during the early hours of Thursday morning, the pub’s electrics cut out twice so Joshua lit candles and got one of his speakers working to play some music in the background to alleviate any stress experienced by residents.
He added: “It was about 6am when I had the confirmation about Wavelengths [being the official refuge centre] so I just ordered them all taxis, I don’t know if they even had anything like their bank cards, they asked to pay me back but I said ‘don’t worry about it’ so I got them the taxis and I got them to Wavelengths.”
Over the Bank Holiday weekend, the community centre which is connected to All Saints Church in New Cross was also used as a space for residents to come and use the facilities and get refreshments.
This week, the centre launched its first community meal event, which is taking place every Thursday at 1.15pm where residents can enjoy a free lunch from FoodCycle Lewisham.
The timing was impeccable with locals still displaced.
The project is being funded by FoodCycle and Lewisham Council’s Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy (NCIL), which the council collects from developments and is used to fund various projects in the borough.
Liam Shrivastava, a councillor for New Cross Gate ward, said people have been really impressed with the community response to the fire.
Together with fellow ward councillor, Aisha Malik-Smith, he has been supporting affected residents including making sure their temporary accommodation is suitable for their needs.
Cllr Malik-Smith said: “All of these residents have lost their homes and all of their possessions, it’s a huge upheaval.
“It’s so traumatic for so many families so we’re really just doing what we can to support them and make all of the process and the admin that comes along with it as easy as possible and just lift as much of the burden as possible.
“Some people have stayed with friends and family, some people have been placed in temporary accommodation [including] hotels, but everyone has had somewhere safe to stay in the short-term; the next step is looking at long-term support for housing.”
LFB control officers took the first 12 calls to the fire on the Wednesday (August 20) at 4.27pm and the fire was under control by 6.48am on Thursday (August 21).
LFB said there were no reports of any injuries, but part of the first floor and most of the second floor of the block were damaged by the fire and the building’s roof was also destroyed.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) understands the fire is believed to have been accidental but the exact cause is still under investigation.
