Busy day for firefighters

Seven emergency services vehicles were called to the Malling House tower block in Lewisham Park, opposite Lewisham Hospital, after reports of heavy smoke on the thirteenth floor.

Firefighters found rubbish had been set alight in a room containing the building's litter chute.

A family who live opposite the chute were told to remain in their flat while firefighters, using breathing apparatus, tackled the blaze.

The rubbish chute room was heavily smoke damaged and slightly fire damaged.

A faulty electrical heater caused a small house fire in Chalsey Road, Brockley, earlier today.

Three people had evacuated the house before firefighters arrived.

The fire caused damage to the second floor of the three storey building.

Dartford fire station had a busy hour dealing with two children locked in houses and a burning motorbike.

Firefighters received their first call at 10:10am to a boy locked in a house opposite the fire station in Watling Street, Dartford.

His parents were outside the house when the boy got stuck.

He had been released by the time firefighters arrived.

Twenty minutes later, firefighters were called to a three-year-old locked in a bathroom in Lowfield Street, Dartford.

A lock had broken and his mother could not open the door to reach him.

Firefighters prised the door open and used screwdrivers to release the lock.

Then at 10:50am they were called to reports of a motorcycle on fire in Egerton Avenue, Hextable.

The owner had been dismantling the bike to scrap it when brake fluid ignited.

He had put out the fire by the time firefighters arrived.