Flames reached 12ft high when a pile of mattresses caught fire outside a house in Selhurst this morning.
Firefighters were called to Beaconsfield Road at about 12.30am and managed to put the fire out within seven minutes.
Because they put it out so quickly they managed to stop it spreading to the house.
After putting out the fire they moved the mattresses, and other household waste, into the road to damp it down and make sure it was not going to catch light again.
They then moved it back outside the home.
Police were called to the incident but mainly to control the traffic when the firefighters had the rubbish in the road.
Crew manager Abe Assefa, from Croydon’s green watch, said it is not possible to tell how the fire started.
He said police had a quick look to see if there was anything suspicious but it could have been started by a discarded cigarette or by a burnt ember from a bonfire.
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