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Converted fire station saved from blaze
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| old fire station alight |
A QUICK-thinking mother-of-two saved homes and a business from going up in flames.
Six fire engines with 30 crew tackled a blaze at the old fire station, Glebe Way, West Wickham, which is now converted into six flats and an auction house.
Alison Thomas, who lives in one of the flats, spotted smoke coming from a wheelie bin behind the building.
She alerted others to call the emergency services at 4.10pm on May 13 and watched as the wind whipped up flames fast.
The 32-year-old said: "It caught on the trees and the fence and it went on from there. Literally within minutes it took hold.
The fire spread to the ground floor of the auction house and a neighbouring house while smoke spread to the flats above.
Ms Thomas, who was with her two sons Boyzie, 12, and Sid, seven, said: "In the mean time I kept calling to people. We made sure everyone was out."
"The fire crews came in about 15 to 20 minutes.
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| Alison Thomas spotted smoke |
"They told everyone to get back and blocked the roads because they thought the whole building was going to go bang at one point.
"It was really frightening. I'm not easily scared."
Steve Winter, 43, who runs the furniture shop in the building, said: "Alison deserves a medal. If she hadn't seen it, it would have been too late.
"Another five minutes the whole thing would have gone up.
"I would have been out of business. The fire crew were pretty brave having to go inside. They got it with a few minutes to spare."
"And I would be homeless, " said Ms Thomas.
Firefighters from Beckenham, Bromley, Forest Hill and Addington took one and a half hours to bring the flames under control.
"The firemen did such a fantastic job," the mother-of-two said. "They worried about everybody's safety.
"A couple of them just collapsed on the floor, they were totally black."
Three people were led to safety from the first floor by fire crews wearing breathing apparatus.
One person was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation.
The cause of the fire is being investigated.
5:06pm Thursday 15th May 2008
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