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A south London housing association block has been evacuated following a fire that damaged two properties.
Around 40 firefighters and six fire engines were called to the Crystal Court in Thornton Heath, Croydon, on Monday night to put out a blaze that damaged the cladding on the building.
The block, managed by Orbit Group, has been evacuated and parts of two flats were damaged by the fire.
Around 20 people were evacuated from the block and 55 others left the adjoining leisure centre.
An Orbit spokesperson confirmed that the blaze damaged the cladding on the building, though no details of the cladding system were given when asked by Inside Housing.
The spokesperson said: “We can confirm that due to a fire this building has currently been evacuated. There were no serious injuries and our primary focus has been to provide support for our residents with their well-being and temporary accommodation arrangements.
“The fire was external to the building and although an area of cladding was damaged, the building’s fire management systems worked as planned and prevented significant damage to main structure or to the building’s insulation.
“The London Fire Brigade have confirmed that the building is structurally safe and, subject to all safety checks being completed, we are hopeful of moving customers back into their homes tomorrow [Friday].”
Matt Williams, station commander at the London Fire Brigade, said: “Crews worked extremely hard to quickly bring the fire under control and stop it from spreading to the rest of the building.
“We’d like to remind residents of the importance of having working smoke alarms fitted inside your property. Make sure you also test them at least once a week.”
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