A fire on Electric Avenue saw 10 fire engines and approximately 70 firefighters called out yesterday (July 7) at 9.41am.
Man arrested on suspicion of arson after three-hour storage fire near Brixton station
The fire began in a storage area behind some of the shops on the busy shopping street, which was made famous by Guyanese-British musician Eddy Grant’s 1983 song of the same name.
It then spread to the building above the storage area into the pitched roof, the damage to which was pictured afterwards.
The picture was taken by a resident who lives 20 metres from the storage unit.
They described being “absolutely exhausted” after being evacuated from their flat around 10am – and only being allowed to return nearly eight hours later.
A large plume of smoke could be seen rising over the roofs of the street, which hosts Brixton’s market, throughout the morning.
No injuries have been reported but in a statement, the Metropolitan Police said: “One suspect, a man in his 40s, has been arrested on suspicion of arson. He remains in police custody.”
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call police on 101 quoting CAD 2087/07JUL or to remain anonymous call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Throughout the day, police maintained a cordon on Electric Avenue, preventing pedestrians from accessing it, while also blocking off several nearby roads to traffic.
Brixton Tube station was closed throughout the day to stop smoke from travelling, and residents living nearby were advised to shut their windows to stop prevent smoke inhalation.
Firefighters could be seen heading in and out of several shops on Electric Avenue trying to access a back area where the fire started.
Smoke could be seen billowing out of the doors of two of the shops they entered, while water poured from a street-side access point where they had connected their hoses.
A fire engine with a long ladder could meanwhile be seen in use on Electric Lane, a small back alley behind the main shopping street.
The ladder was used as both a lookout, and as a water tower to help extinguish the fire from a height.
The fire brigade said the blaze was brought under control by 1.11pm, but firefighters remained in the area to observe and dampen down hotspots.
