Two people have been taken to hospital after being trapped under scaffolding that collapsed on Streatham High Road on Sunday afternoon.
Passers-by pulled both people free before firefighters arrived, the London Fire Brigade has said. Both were then taken to hospital by the London Ambulance Service.
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called at 1.30pm on Sunday 25 October to reports of an incident on Streatham High Road.” The service said it sent ambulance crews, an incident response officer and paramedics from its hazardous area response team (HART) to the scene.
The fire brigade said its control officers received the first of five calls at 1.31pm and mobilised crews from Tooting, Lewisham, West Norwood and surrounding fire stations. The incident was under control by 4.07pm.
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: “Two people were trapped under the scaffolding and rescued before the Brigade arrived. Both people were taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service.”
The collapse is the incident behind the closure of Streatham High Road in both directions between Shrubbery Road and Gleneldon Road earlier on Sunday, with diversions in place around the affected section. Buses 45, 50, 57, 109 and 133 were disrupted, and the road was described as closed because of an unsafe building.
The conditions of the two people taken to hospital have not been stated, and neither service has said what caused the scaffolding to collapse. No names or ages have been released, and it is not yet known when the road will fully reopen.
HART paramedics are specially trained to work in hazardous environments, including collapsed structures, and work alongside fire crews at incidents where casualties may be trapped or difficult to reach. When scaffolding collapses, fire crews will typically make the structure safe and check for further casualties before the scene is handed back, but the brigade has not said what work, if any, remains at this site.
Streatham High Road, the A23, is one of south London’s main routes, carrying traffic between Streatham and central London, so a closure in both directions quickly affects buses and local journeys as well as through traffic.
The closure follows other building-related road closures in London in recent days, including Kilburn High Road, which reopened after a building fire, and Hamilton Road in Southall, which was shut after an emergency incident.
Drivers are advised to follow signed diversions, allow extra time and check live travel updates before setting out.
