Twelve fire engines and around 80 firefighters tackled a fire at a childcare centre on Sandy Lane in Orpington.
Half of three external buildings belonging to a childcare centre were damaged by fire, along with part of the roof of the main school building. Around four hectares of grass in surrounding fields were also damaged by the blaze. Around 80 children and staff left the building before the Brigade arrived. There were no reports of any injuries.
The Brigade's all-wheel drive vehicle was effectively used at the scene. The vehicle's firefighting capabilities are currently being reviewed to test its effectiveness to tackling grass fires and wildfires as part of our learnings from last summer’s record-breaking extreme weather.
Station Commander Stephen Irvine said: "A grass fire near the childcare centre spread, causing classrooms close by to catch alight.
"The fire was producing heavy smoke and we urged people in the local area to keep their windows and doors closed until it subsided.
"There were road closures in place causing heavy traffic, so we asked people to avoid the area if possible, whilst we made the scene safe."
The Brigade's 999 Control Officers took more than 25 calls to the blaze.
The Brigade was called at 1609 and the fire was under control by 1927. Fire crews from Sidcup, Orpington, Bexley, Eltham and surrounding fire stations attended the scene.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Brigade and the Metropolitan Police Service.