Roads remain closed and buses are still on diversion after a fire in Erith.

Fire crews were called to a commercial building in Church Manorway at 9.50am yesterday (Monday, September 16).

Over 100 members of staff fled the property before fire crews arrived at the blaze and a cordon remains in place.

The cause of the fire is not yet known.

Erith station is still open to trains, but the car park is currently closed and buses cannot stop there.

A spokesperson for London Fire Brigade said: “Firefighters are responding to a fire at an industrial site on Church Manorway, Erith. 

“The fire is involves a corkscrew conveyor belt.

“The location of the fire is difficult to access, limiting the ability of crews to fully extinguish the flames.

“As a result this is a protracted incident, and firefighting operations may extend into tomorrow (September 18).

“A 500m safety cordon has been put in place as crews respond. A section of the A2016 is closed to traffic, and a number of nearby businesses on the industrial site have had to close.

“The Brigade was first called at 0950 on September 16 about the fire. Crews from Erith, Plumstead, Greenwich and surrounding fire stations are responding to this incident. 

“The cause of this fire is not yet known.”

There are multiple roads currently closed as a result of the fire.

Road closures currently in place:

  • Mulberry Way is closed both ways at Church Manorway
  • B213 Lower Road is closed both ways from Battle Road to A2016 Bronze Age Way
  • Bronze Age Way is closed both ways from B253 Picardy Manorway to A206 Queens Road (Erith Roundabout).

Buses on diversion

  • Route 469 is on diversion towards Erith. Buses will not be serving stops from Eardley Road (W) to Erith Station/West Street (L).
  • Route 180 is starting and terminating at Abbey Wood Station (C) and Harrow Manorway/Yarnton Way (B). Buses will not be serving remaining stops from/to Erith.
  • Route 229 is on diversion towards Queen Mary's Hospital / Chislehurst Road. Buses will not be serving stops from Lower Road/Belvedere Station (C) to Erith Town Centre/Cross Street (G).

A spokesperson for London Ambulance Service said: “We were called at 10.54am this morning (Monday 16 September) to reports of a fire incident at the junction of Clydesdale Way and Eastern Way, DA18.

“We sent resources to the scene, including members of our Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) and an incident response officer.

“Our crews attended and assisted our emergency services partners at the scene. Some of our crews were later stood down, while others remain at the scene.”