pic: Will Bewley

A blaze at a tyre shredding plant in Purley Way, Croydon, has been causing major traffic disruptions in the area since the early hours of this morning (September 22).

Ten fire engines and 50 firefighters were called at 1.14am to the two-story building, half of which was alight. An exclusion zone was set up around the building, which contained two acetylene gas cylinders and one propane gas cylinder.

By the afternoon, there were still six engines at the scene and the roof of the building had collapsed. Around 500 people were evacuated from the nearby Costco cash and carry shop and carpark due to fears of the gas cylinders exploding.

The A23 Purley Way and surrounding roads were closed for much of the day, resulting in heavy traffic congestion.

Station Manager Mark Blomfield said: “This was a massive fire which caused a huge amount of black smoke due to the number of tyres that were on fire. Crews worked incredibly hard throughout the night to prevent the flames from spreading to the two properties either side, one of which is a restaurant.”

Three people left the building before the brigade arrived.

An investigation will be carried out to establish the cause of the blaze.