Beckenham Odeon and Heathrow Car-park Fires

On Sept. 30 a large fire broke out adjacent to the Odeon cinema on Beckenham High Street, spreading to the roof and upper floors of a nearby mixed-use building; the London Fire Brigade mobilised ten fire engines and about 70 firefighters, including a 32-metre turntable ladder, and brought the blaze under control by mid-morning. The cinema cancelled or postponed showings, road closures and heavy smoke caused major disruption, there are no confirmed reports of injuries, and investigations into the cause are ongoing. Separately, on Oct. 1 a vehicle fire in Heathrow Terminal 3's multi-storey car park destroyed one car and damaged two others; four engines and about 25 firefighters brought that blaze under control by around 10:05 a.m. with no reported injuries. A serious lorry crash on the M25 clockwise at junction 14 in the early hours led to one man being rescued and taken to hospital and forced carriageway closures and long delays; the car-park blaze briefly closed the southbound M4 spur but Heathrow said the rest of the airport continued to operate with no apparent flight delays.