31/8/23 Windmill and Drum & Monkey Derelict Pubs Fires🔥🔥8 & 6 Pumps. St James Rd/Gloucester Rd CR0

London Fire Brigade Incident Report
Fire #1 Windmill Pub
Eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters tackled a fire in a derelict pub on St James's Road in Croydon.
The whole of the second floor and the roof of the building were destroyed by fire, resulting in a roof collapse. There were no reports of any injuries.
One of the Brigade's 32-metre turntable ladders was used as a water tower to tackle the fire from above.
The Brigade's 999 Control Officers took 10 calls to the blaze.
The Brigade was called at 0544 and the fire was under control by 0835. Fire crews from Woodside, Croydon, Forest Hill and surrounding fire stations were at the scene.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
London Fire Brigade Incident Report
Fire #2. The Drum & Monkey Pub.
Six fire engines and around 40 firefighters tackled a fire at a derelict pub on Gloucester Road in Croydon.
The whole of the first and second floors of the building were destroyed by fire. There were no reports of any injuries.
The Brigade's 999 Control Officers used 999Eye to live stream the blaze from a smart phone to screens in the Control Room, allowing for greater visibility of the incident.
When a 999 call is received by the Brigade, the caller may be asked if they would like to provide a live video stream of the scene using their smartphone. The Control Officer will send a text message with a secure, one-time-use link that opens a live stream direct from the phone to the Control Room. 999Eye provides better situational awareness and allows us to offer the best advice based on live footage.
The Brigade was called at 0624 and the fire was under control by 0729. Fire crews from Addington, Tooting, Purley, Forest Hill and Bromley fire stations attended the scene.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Metropolitan Police Press Release
At around 05:44hrs on Thursday 31 August officers were called to support on a fire that had taken place in a derelict pub on St James Road in Croydon.
Officers attended the scene, and put police cordons into place, whilst the London Fire Brigade (LFB) extinguished the fire.
At around 06:24hrs officers were called to support on another fire that had taken place in a derelict pub on Gloucester road in Croydon.
The fire, on Gloucester Road was under control by 07:29hrs, and the fire on St James Road was under control by 08:35hrs.
The fires are being treated as suspicious and a joint investigation is being led between the Met and the London Fire Brigade.
There have been no reports of injuries on any of the scenes.
At this early stage there have been no arrests.
Anyone who witnessed this incident or has footage should call police on 101 or Tweet @MetCC quoting 1051/31AUG.
To remain 100% anonymous call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit Crimestoppers-uk.org.
A number of local residents claimed the Drum and Monkey Pub was being used as a cannabis grow house
Police were approached for comment and supplied the following:
Prior to the fire, police were aware of a cannabis growth within the building. However, this was dismantled and investigated by police previously.
Police also confirmed a third reported fire:
Shortly after 0800 hours LFB also attended a small fire in King George Park, Sydenham Road where a small amount of furniture had been set fire to.