Post date: Aug 09, 2011 8:57:16 AM
Fire crews work early morning to extinguish remaining London fires after overnight rioting
CLAPHAM, LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (AUGUST 09, 2011) ITN - Fire crews were on Tuesday (August 09) hosing down smouldering fires in Clapham, south west London after overnight violence as neighbourhoods across the capital faced a massive clean-up of smashed glass, bricks, bottles and gutted buildings.
Police reinforcements reclaimed the streets from hooded youths after a night of looting, vandalising shops and causing widespread disruption.A Debenhams store and a series of shops in Lavender Hill were targeted, and some rioters were reported to have broken into a fancy dress store near Clapham Junction, where stolen masks used to conceal faces.
In Enfield, at least 10 fire engines were brought in to tackle a significant blaze at a Sony warehouse in Solar Way, suspected to have been started by looters.
The London Fire Brigade said it would launch an investigation into the cause of the fire.
Station manager Daniel Alie said fire crews had the fire mostly under control.
"How long normally what would take with a fire of this size we will be here for some considerate time beyond today. We'll have the fire mostly under control, as you can see now, apart from the smoke. But with regards to damping down and turning over to make sure the fire is completely out, that will go on much part of tomorrow," Daniel Alie said.
At one point, the London fire brigade said it was running out of vehicles to tackle fires started by the rioters and police said they had called in 1,700 reinforcements to help London police cope with fast-moving groups of looters.
Some commentators have blamed the rioting partly on cuts in social services being imposed as a result of the government's tough austerity policies to reduce a large budget deficit.