Kebab Ye Beckenham fire concerns 'for a long time'

Ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters were called to 292-294 Beckenham High Street just after 8am where a fire was affecting the roof of the mixed-use building, currently under refurbishment, as well as its first and second floors.

Roaring flames and billowing smoke could be seen rising from the property.

The ground floor of the building was previously taken up by food outlet Kebab Ye which the London Fire Brigade (LFB) ordered to close due to serious fire safety concerns in the wider property in May, according to a News Shopper report at the time which stated a prohibition notice had been taped to the window.

That prohibition notice stated the risk to anyone occupying the building was “so serious that the use of the premises ought to be prohibited”.

READ MORE: High Street Beckenham fire: Odeon set to reopen cinema | News Shopper

At this stage the cause of the fire has not been shared so it’s unclear of the issues identified had any relevance on today’s incident.

However at the time, the prohibition notice highlighted that escape routes were blocked or obstructed by combustible material, the “means of escape is inadequate”, and there was insufficient fire separation between floors.

It’s unclear if these issues have been addressed since the prohibition order.

Separate to this, Bromley Council is investigating alleged planning breaches at the property. The owner of the property declined to comment on this morning’s fire when approached at the scene by the LDRS.

LFB Station Commander Tony Perks was unable to speak on the source of the fire, but he was pleased to share at 11.30am that no injuries had been reported and the fire had been prevented from spreading to adjacent properties, including the “local landmark” of the Odeon Cinema.

Chris Penfold, owner of bike shop Deen’s Garage at 439 Croydon Road, said he reported his concerns about a wooden structure on the roof of the property to MP Liam Conlon only last week.

He also relayed his thoughts to Bromley Council earlier this month after local business owners were asked to give their views on the current state of Beckenham High Street.

Chris says he told the council: “The buildings were derelict and making the bottom end of the High Street look terrible, and they were dangerous.”

Chris says he was frustrated, claiming that concerns raised by business owners weren’t being properly acknowledged by the council.

He said: “They’ve put my business rates up to £10,000 a year and they’re not policing how the High Street is kept. We’re doing a really good job to keep our business tidy, straight and open.

"We’re doing nothing wrong and paying them a chunk of money every year and they’re not looking after the area around the business.”

Chris added: “That building’s been in a state for about three years. No one’s policing it. It was just a question of when, rather than if [a fire broke out].”

The owner of Vásconez Silver, a jewellery shop adjacent to the burnt property, claimed the fire brigade visited the building two days ago to check whether it was safe from fire risk.

The business owner, who did not want to be named, claimed there had been rubbish outside the back for some time, something she deemed a potential fire hazard.

Despite acknowledging LFB had visited to check on the potential safety issues, she was still frustrated, saying: “We have sent so many emails to the council and to the fire brigade. We have complained so many times. Nothing has been done.”

A Bromley Council spokesperson said: “We need to be careful here given there are ongoing live investigations, including as we understand it, into the cause of the fire, which is not for the council to comment or speculate about.

“The council is actively investigating alleged planning breaches, with this matter very much ongoing. Clearly we cannot comment further about this as this investigation is ongoing but this would not have a bearing on the fire.”