On 20 August a fire broke out at a block of flats in New Cross, prompting around 100 firefighters and 15 fire engines to respond. No-one was injured, but dozens were left homeless. London Fire Brigade relocated 34 residents to Wavelengths Leisure Centre in Deptford and arranged hotel accommodation. The Five Bells pub on New Cross Road stayed open until 06:00 BST, allowing displaced residents to shelter and giving firefighters access to toilets. Landlord Joshua Burton extended opening beyond his 11pm licensing hours after seeing residents inside, lit candles when electrics failed twice, and played music to ease stress while awaiting confirmation about rest centre arrangements.
Around 100 firefighters and 15 fire engines were called to tackle the blaze which had broken out at a block of flats in c in New Cross on 20 August. No-one was injured, but the blaze left dozens of people homeless, said the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS). 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.
Joshua told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "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."
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