Blaze hits £22m fire training HQ

An unscheduled blaze broke out at a £22million training centre for London's firefighters, but there were no sprinklers or smoke alarms in place, it was revealed today.

The Southwark training centre, used by the London Fire Brigade, suffered smoke damage in the blaze which started in a cavity wall in the Fire House - a replica of a home fitted with gas and electrical appliances for training purposes.

Dozens of firefighters fought the blaze which started on the second floor of the centre in Southwark Bridge Road at 5.30pm yesterday.

Crews worked through the night to ensure the fire did not spread.

Today, firefighters said that no sprinkler system or smoke alarms were fitted in the area where the fire broke out. The alarm was only raised after an off-duty fireman dialled 999.

A source, who did not want to be named, told the Standard it was a "complete farce".

"They took all night to put the fire out. They could not ventilate the area of the fire properly and it got very, very hot."

The damage is a setback for Fire Brigade chiefs who have been criticised for spending millions on the centre after costs spiralled and completion targets were missed.

The building was finished only last year.

A spokeswoman told the Standard: "It was a small fire. We are treating it as an accident but a fire investigation team is looking into it."