Thirty-five firefighters have managed to bring a large fire in the Southside Shopping Centre under control.
More than 2,500 people were evacuated by the brigade and shopping centre staff after a blaze broke out at a Nando's restaurant in the centre, on Garratt Lane, at just before 2pm.

Six fire engines from Wandsworth, Tooting, Wimbledon, Fulham, and Clapham fire stations were scrambled to the scene.

Kika Hall, who was out shopping with her mother and daughter was heading up the escalators when she saw smoke billowing out of the restaurant.

She said: “We had just decided to have lunch. You could see a lot of smoke coming out of there. They had cleared the restaurant already and were closing the doors to try and contain the fire.

"There were a lot of people standing around and filming it instead of leaving.”

Wandsworth Times:

Peri peril: The fire broke out at Nando's

Sarah Chapman, 40, was shopping in Waitrose within the shopping centre when she heard the fire alarm.

She said: "I could smell smoke but being typically British I didn't think to do anything about, when the alarm went off. To be honest it was all very calm. There were lots of people doing their

Christmas shopping but people were very calm in leaving.
"The word is it could have been the Nandos. I could see the smoke coming out of the vent."

After she left the shopping centre, Mrs Chapman, from Tooting said she saw people milling around and smoke pouring out the building.

Rossanna Silva, 20, shop assistant at Pandora, said: "We were told we had to be evacuated, we closed the store down. It was like chaos, mothers with push chairs and everything, people rushing out. We had to evacuate quite quickly."

Fifty per cent of the ventilation system on the first floor and the roof of the restaurant were damaged by fire.

The fire was brought under control at 3.30pm

A spokesman for the London Fire Brigade said: "The fire which was affecting a restaurant's ventilation system is now under control."

 

A spokesman for the London Fire Brigade said: "The fire which was affecting a restaurant's ventilation system is now under control."

Were you in shopping centre when it was evacuated? Call the news desk on 020 8722 6343.

 

TODAY'S TOP WANDSWORTH STORIES