Twenty-one fire fighters tackled a blaze at a Woolwich Royal Arsenal building site this afternoon (May 27).

The London Fire Brigade was called to Arsenal Way at 3pm today where they found a diesel compressor completely alight on the first floor of a building under construction.

Thick black smoke from the diesel could be seen for miles around.

Station manager Joe Kenny who was at the fire said: “The compressor was in an open area on the first floor, close to an unfinished section of the building. 

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"If firefighters hadn’t acted fast it could have spread very quickly along exposed timbers and into the building under construction, but thankfully it was brought under control at an early stage.”

Karl Whiteman, Divisional Managing Director of Berkeley Homes East Thames said: “This afternoon a small fire took place on site at Royal Arsenal Riverside and I am pleased to confirm that no one was injured during the incident.

“The initial fire investigator determined that it was a piece of equipment, a diesel generator, which caught fire and the diesel in the generator gave off a lot of black smoke. The investigator highlighted that we have nothing to answer for and was impressed with management system in place at the site and how the situation was managed. 

“I would like to thank the London Fire Brigade and our on site project team for dealing with the fire quickly and efficiently to ensure no lasting damage was done.”

The fire was under control at 3.56pm and its cause is under investigation.