Neighbor of derelict pub fire in Croydon describes terror at ‘suspicious’ blaze.

A neighbor of one of two derelict pubs that caught fire in Croydon has described her terror as she witnessed the flames “streaming right up into the sky”.

Around 100 firefighters rushed to tackle the blazes at the former Drum and Monkey pub on Gloucester Road and the former Windmill pub on St James’ Road on Thursday morning.

Both buildings, which are just streets apart, were damaged – and the fires are being treated as “suspicious” by police.

Monika Raj, who lives close to Drum and Monkey, said she opened her front door to a “massive fire” after firefighters knocked.

“I heard loud noises, I heard the fire department going by,” she said.

“I thought something had happened, I didn’t know there was something right across from our house.

“The next minute we heard a knock at our door. There were police, there were firefighters.

“When I opened the door, I saw a massive fire. We don’t know how it happened.

“We were actually so scared because my husband’s car was literally parked opposite the pub. So they advised him to move the car quickly. It was very scary to watch.”

She said she heard a “big bang” as the pub’s windows came crashing down.

“I was really shocked, the flames were going straight up into the sky,” she said.

“There was a bang when the windows came crashing down. The glass actually broke and was everywhere.”

London Fire Brigade (LFB) said eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters were called to the first blaze, at the former Windmill pub, at 5.44am.

It said: “The entire floor and roof of the building was destroyed by fire, causing the roof to collapse. No injuries were reported.

“One of the brigade’s 32m ladders was used as a water tower to fight the fire from above.”

At 6.24am the LFB were called to the second fire at the former Drum & Monkey pub in Gloucester Road.

Six fire engines and approximately 40 firefighters responded to the scene.

The fire service added: “All the first and second floors of the building were destroyed by fire. No injuries were reported.”

The police intervened in both buildings and installed cordons.

The Metropolitan Police said: “The fires are being treated as suspicious and a joint investigation is underway between the Met and London Fire Brigade.

“There were no reports of injuries at either scene. At this early stage there have been no arrests.”

The Drum and Monkey pub was bought by Epsilon Developments Limited in July 2020 for £525,000, while IGC land Holdings Limited owns the Windmill Pub, purchased in August 2022 for £1.35m plus VAT.