Serious injuries in Croydon Police Station explosion

Around 50 firefighters, three ambulances and an air ambulance helicopter attended an explosion at Croydon police station at 11.20am Tuesday March 20.  Fire fighters from 10 crews fought for around 2 hours to prevent the fire spreading.

Tej Ajimal  from the London Fire Brigade said: “Crews worked hard to bring the fire under control and managed to contain it to the basement area and stop it from spreading to the rest of the police station.”

Four contractors from Vinci Construction UK were working in the basement at the time of the blast. One of the men was airlifted to a specialist unit at the Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford suffering from severe burns and a second man was taken to St George’s Hospital with burns to his face and arms.

Several others received treatment for minor burns and smoke inhalation.

A spokesman for the police said that the explosion happened in the basement firing range which had been decommissioned during the current refurbishment.

A spokesman for Vinci Construction said: “Vinci Construction UK is gravely concerned about the welfare and safety of the construction workers and others affected by this incident and has been working with all emergency services throughout the day to secure the scene of the incident. We are working with the HSE in their ongoing investigation to understand the cause of the explosion.”

Chief Superintendent, Dave Musker said: “Seven people have been injured and five have been taken to hospital. While two are thought to be seriously injured. We want to reassure the public we continue to provide fully operational services to the community of Croydon. Our thoughts and wishes are with those injured.”

Health and Safety Executive are investigating the cause of the incident.