A female police officer from the Metropolitan Police has suffered burn injuries after getting caught in what has been described as an ‘explosion’ as she entered a flat in Lewisham.
Witnesses heard police say that a man had locked himself in a flat above a parade of shops at Batavia Mews, New Cross on Friday afternoon.
When officers entered the property, an “explosion” went off that is reported to have shook nearby windows.
In footage posted to social media, a naked man could be seen sitting on a roof in front of the smouldering building as police urge him to come down.
A neighbour Olivia Johnson, 24, told The Standard:
“I heard a police officer say the man looked himself in a room. The police dogs were sniffing around the area like two hours before anything happened
“Then it was kind of crazy, my flatmate saw the explosion just from our window. He said it was like a ball of fire coming from the window. It was loud like a bomb.
“Then this naked man jumped from the window and wouldn’t come down.
“The police helped him down but ages after they evacuated the rest of the building.”
A spokesperson for Lewisham MPS tweeted:
‘Police were called at around 13:32hrs in response to an incident at Batavia Mews, New Cross earlier this morning. As officers entered the premises, they heard an explosion. LAS and LFB were called and attended the scene, where they discovered a fire at the premises.
‘One officer has sustained burn injuries and has been taken to a hospital in south London. Her injuries are currently thought to be non-life threatening.
“A man, aged 40, was arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life and GBH at the scene.
‘He has been taken to a police station in south London. Road closures have been put into place both ways on New Cross Road to the junction with Clifton Road. At this stage, the incident is not thought to be terror related’.
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