Twelve fire engines and 81 fire fighters and officers were called to a fire on a boat moored on Deptford Creek at the rear of Brookmarsh Industrial Estate, Norman Road in Deptford.
The whole of a permanently moored retired Royal Navy minesweeper was gutted by fire and the blaze also spread to a neighbouring boat moored alongside it. Members of the public called the Brigade after they reported hearing an explosion, which is thought to have been caused by a propane gas cylinder.
One man left the boat before the arrival of the Brigade and another man on the neighbouring houseboat was led to safety by firefighters. Fortunately no one was injured in the blaze.
Station Manager Norman Perry who was at the scene said: “Crews worked extremely hard to extinguish the fire and safely remove around ten other cylinders on the neighbouring boats to prevent the fire spreading further.
"Crews are using an aerial platform and water jets to extinguish the fire and steady progress was made.”
At its height, 999 Brigade Control officers received 57 calls from members of the public.
Fire crews from Deptford, Greenwich, New Cross, Lewisham, Bethnal Green, East Greenwich, Lee Green, Peckham and Old Kent Road were at the scene.
The Brigade was called at 2309 and the incident was over at 0253.