A large fire broke out at a waste facility on Landmann Way in Bermondsey, south-east London, shortly before 20:00 BST, with around 100 firefighters and fifteen fire engines sent to tackle flames engulfing roughly 50 tonnes of household waste. The London Fire Brigade urged nearby residents to keep windows and doors shut as thick smoke spread across the area.
Crews from East Greenwich, Old Kent Road, Deptford and neighbouring stations attended the scene. According to the BBC, the blaze was eventually brought under control just before midnight, and the fire brigade has since opened a formal inquiry into what caused it.
How did the fire disrupt transport?
Passing trains on the nearby Overground line kept running even as thick black smoke drifted over the tracks, according to freelance journalist Rachael Jardine, who is based in New Cross and spoke to BBC London about conditions near the site.
Beyond the Overground, wider disruption followed. Network Rail said services running into and out of London Bridge, including Southeastern and Thameslink trains, were affected by the incident, according to the BBC, which added that further delays, diversions and cancellations were expected for as long as the fire response continued.
What did witnesses see?
One local resident said he noticed the fire while cycling home from a supermarket run.
"I was coming back from Tescos and I could see the smoke from the road," he said.
"We cycled back to mine and realised it was just across the road... it's pretty mental."
How does this compare with the June fire at the same site?
This is not the first time the Landmann Way facility has caught fire. The London Fire Brigade confirmed crews had already tackled a blaze there in June 2026, though the cause of Tuesday night's fire has not yet been established.
Details from the fire brigade's own account of the June incident show it began when crews were called at 17:32 and worked through the night before fully extinguishing the flames, according to the London Fire Brigade's incident report. That earlier fire, at its most intense, involved a substantial quantity of refuse along with the roof of a warehouse unit, destroyed a van and a car, and required firefighters to use two 32-metre turntable ladders to fight the flames from above. One man was treated at the scene by the London Ambulance Service, the report added.
A separate fire at a recycling centre on Devon Street in South Bermondsey in April 2026 was recorded as accidental, according to the same fire brigade source. Similar large-scale blazes have hit waste and recycling sites elsewhere in London this year: an earlier recycling plant fire in south London in June also drew around 100 firefighters and disrupted rail services until at least 22:30, while separate blazes involving more than 100 firefighters hit Walthamstow in east London in July, affecting homes, gardens and a railway embankment.
What happens next?
The cause of Tuesday's fire remains under investigation, and no date has yet been given for when that inquiry might conclude, according to the fire brigade's published incident records. Network Rail has indicated that passengers should continue to expect delays, diversions and cancellations on affected routes while the situation is fully resolved.
Key Facts
- Fire broke out at Landmann Way, Bermondsey, shortly before 20:00 BST, involving about 50 tonnes of household waste.
- Around 100 firefighters and fifteen fire engines responded; the blaze was brought under control just before midnight.
- Southeastern and Thameslink services to and from London Bridge faced disruption, according to Network Rail.
- The same site suffered a fire in June 2026 that destroyed a warehouse roof, a van and a car.
- The cause of the latest fire is under investigation by the London Fire Brigade.
