New Malden and Kingston firefighters helped prevent a potentially lethal explosion in Raynes Park last week that could have wreaked devastation to the area.

They were called to a rubbish fire at derelict garages in Crossway just after 8pm on Wednesday, June 8, but quickly discovered it was close to 47kg of potentially volatile propane cylinders.

Police immediately closed off local roads including Crossway and Westway and also Kingsway in Motspur Park and set up an exclusion zone to protect the public. An ambulance was called on standby.

Fire crews including a specialist team from Lewisham managed to prevent the cylinders from exploding.

Malcolm Elliot, green watch commander at New Malden Fire Station, said there was a "tremendous risk" that people could have been killed or seriously injured if they had blown up.

He added: "There could have been destruction to up to a 200 meter radius. People don't realise how dangerous these things are."

It's thought youths may have started the fire deliberately.