Heritage-listed London pub the Burn Bullock significantly damaged after fire

A fire on Friday night caused damage to a historic pub in south-west London, according to the London Fire Brigade.

Emergency crews were dispatched to the Burn Bullock pub in Mitcham around 7:30 pm after receiving reports of a fire at the London Road location.

The heritage-listed pub, which has been closed for over a decade, required the response of emergency teams from Norbury, Wimbledon, and Tooting, involving 12 fire engines.

Approximately 80 firefighters worked at the scene, but despite their efforts, the fire service reported that the blaze caused significant damage to the building.

The fire affected half of the ground, first, and second floors of the structure, and the roof of the now-abandoned pub was also destroyed.

Four men were assessed at the scene by London Ambulance Service crews.

Edward Foley, Independent councillor for Merton Park Ward, said firefighters were still dousing the building when he visited on Saturday morning. “It’s just such a shame that this historic building has gone, it’s been a concern for residents.”

“It’s very sad, it’s a lovely building that’s fallen into disrepair, covered in graffiti. It hasn’t sunk in yet, to be honest, I was there this morning at seven o’clock; there were lots of dog walkers really upset.”

He added that “people had feared something would happen to the pub” for “quite a while”. Mitcham Cricket Club, which is located just a few metres away from the pub, has recently expressed its disappointment about the state of the pub. In a post on social media, the club mentioned that the pub had been "disgracefully neglected for years". The pub was named in honour of the club's former player and landlord.

An eyewitness, Amzy, an 18-year-old university student who lives near the pub, described the scene to the PA news agency: "I was driving back from Costco along Madeira Road when I saw police had blocked off the connecting road to Cricket Green, and there was heavy traffic as all the cars were turning around."

Amzy continued: "When I got a closer look at the pub on fire, it seemed like the roof timbers were visible on the side of the building. As an architecture student, I appreciated the old-style pub and was dismayed to see it burning."

Amzy noted seeing flames coming from the building, which looked as if it had been burning for some time, while firefighters worked with hoses to extinguish the flames.

"I felt quite distraught to witness such a valued historic building consumed by fire, and I'm sure many others share my sentiment," Amzy added.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.