Firefighters were forced to use breathing apparatus due to asbestos in an abandoned garage which went up in flames.
The fire this morning at about 1.30am in Hawks Road, Kingston, also spread to nearby trees.
Watch manager Jeff Hall, of Kingston's white watch, said: "The awkward thing about was as soon as we started our firefighting operation it was determined it was made of asbestos and we had to retreat on a 25 metre exclusion zone."
Four firefighters in breathing apparatus put the flames out about an hour later.
None of the neighbours knew who owned the garage which was in an overgrown area of Hawks Road, he said.
Kingston Council's environmental health team were called out to discover who owned the garage.
source: surreycomet.co.uk
Link: Asbestos Claims
