MORE than 50 fighfighters tackled a blaze at a 76-year-old factory in Sidcup – just hours before the longest fire in Bromley’s history finally came to an end.

Eight fire engines were called to the fire on the second floor of the derelict Richard Klinger factory in Edgington Way, Sidcup, at 2.45pm on Tuesday. (March 27)

Witnesses describe seeing six foot high flames leaping from the building and plumes of smoke billowing over Tesco car park.

Speaking shortly after the blaze started, Silvertown station manager Laurie Kenny said: “It is a very smoky fire so firefighters are wearing breathing apparatus and using ladders to fight the fire through windows.

“Because it is a derelict factory it is too dangerous to go inside.

“There is a pall of smoke over the area but it is dissipating fairly quickly.”

The blaze destroyed part of the first floor and a section of the roof and broke out yards from two petrol stations.

There were no reports of any injuries from firefighters at the scene but the blaze caused traffic chaos during rush hour.

Part of Edgington Way, from the factory to the roundabout near to the BP station was closed, and caused long delays.

One fire engine called to the scene was momentarily stuck on the roundabout near Maidstone Road after a lorry blocked the road.

Crews managed to bring blaze under control by 7.45pm and remained at the scene damping down pocket of fire until around 11.30pm.

The factory fire was close to a recycling plant blaze which lasted nine days.

Firefighters finally moved away from the Waste4Fuel Ltd site in Cornwall Drive on Wednesday morning. (March 29)

History

THE Richard Klinger factory in Sidcup was built in 1937 to manufacture engineering parts.

It was later awarded Grade II listed building status before the Klinger company, founded in Austria in 1893, sold out to the French firm Trouvey Cauvin.

In doing so it made 40 of its 47 workforce redundant before eventually closing down completely.

Since 2000 Tesco and Ikea have both pulled out of plans to build on the site which remains derelict.