A blaze that destroyed a semi‑detached home and a car on Mount Pleasant Road in New Malden sparked a response comparable to large residential fires seen in Canadian and American cities.
Scale of the fire
A semi‑detached home and a car were destroyed when a huge house fire broke out in south west London.
Dozens of firefighters battled the massive blaze in Mount Pleasant Road, New Malden for several hours on Saturday night and into Sunday morning.
Fire service response
Ten engines and around 70 firefighters were called to the property, with crews from Surbiton, Kingston, Sutton and Wimbledon attending.
Similar large‑scale residential fires have required comparable resources in cities such as Toronto and Chicago, where dozens of firefighters and multiple engines are also dispatched.
Both Canada and the United States maintain mutual aid agreements that allow fire departments to share equipment and expertise during major incidents.
A London Fire Brigade spokesman said the ground floor and first floor were completely destroyed by fire and half of the roof of the two-storey home was damaged.
Ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters were called to the blaze in New Malden. The LFBA car parked in the front garden was also burnt out, but it is understood no one was injured.
Steve McGhie, Station Commander, said: "The fire was producing smoke that affected the local area, residents nearby were advised to keep their windows and doors closed where possible."
He added that one of the Brigade's 32-metre turntable ladders was deployed as a water tower, allowing crews to tackle the flames from above.
Firefighters were called at 9.36 pm on Saturday and the blaze was under control by 1 am.
A gas cylinder was removed from the property and "cooled to an ambient temperature as a precaution, as some cylinders can explode when exposed to heat", the London Fire Brigade added.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.