London warehouse engulfed in flames, possibly containing fireworks, warn firefighters
Fireworks may be stored inside a west London warehouse engulfed in flames, emergency services have warned, as a major incident has been declared.
Around 150 firefighters and 25 fire engines are battling the fire in a two-storey structure consisting of a warehouse and retail space on Bridge Road in Southall, the London Fire Brigade (LFB) said on Tuesday, News.Az reports citing foreign media.
Around three-quarters of the building is currently alight and a nearby school and block of flats have been evacuated as a safety precaution, the LFB added.
“To everyone in the area, just keep yourself safe,” London Fire Commissioner Jonathan Smith told the PA news agency.
“Keep yourselves out of the perimeter. We’ve got a 200-metre perimeter around the scene. We’ll make sure that everyone keeps away.
“It’s going to be a very, very busy scene of operations for the foreseeable future, certainly overnight.
“So, we would ask members of the public to keep away, keep a safe distance and allow the fire brigade to do their job.”
Assistant commissioner Pat Goulbourne, the brigade’s incident commander said earlier on Tuesday: “A major incident has been declared as firefighters tackle the fire on Bridge Street.
“This decision has been taken due to the suspected presence of fireworks and cylinders being stored within the structure.”
Crews from Southall, Heston, Ealing and surrounding fire stations are responding to the incident, the LFB added.
Three turntable ladders had previously been deployed to allow crews to fight the fire from height, but firefighters have now withdrawn for safety reasons.
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