More than 70 firefighters have tackled a major fire at an industrial site in north London, which sent up a pall of smoke across the capital. No casualties were reported, although a number of vehicles were set alight in a nearby car park. Rescue workers evacuated people from the surrounding area of Ponders End, Enfield, on Tuesday morning after the fire broke out just after 10am.
Thick smoke, visible from Canary Wharf in east London, rose above the fire at a pallet yard in East Duck Lees Lane, where 25 vehicles were damaged.
#Enfield fire: Lot of thick black smoke so if you're local close doors & windows © @tee0h http://t.co/WzwEVzpfjt pic.twitter.com/DpxnA4efRq
— London Fire Brigade (@LondonFire) July 21, 2015
Ten fire engines and 72 firefighters and officers were called to North London Pallets at the early stage of the inferno, while the fire brigade’s 999 control unit took 26 calls to the incident. Fire crews battled the fire at the pallet yard and pumped water from the river Lea.
Fire in Enfield pic.twitter.com/kNyPTGwKYv
— Robert Gibson (@gibbo2904) July 21, 2015
A London fire brigade spokesperson said: “There was a lot of thick black smoke in the local area so in the early stages we ask local residents to close their doors and windows.” Around 25 people were evacuated and there were no reported injuries, he added. “A number of gas cylinders were involved in the fire. Fire crews cooled them down as some cylinders can explode when exposed to heat. The brigade was called at 1010 and the fire was under control by 1356.”
Early pics from @COSullivan73 show pallet yard #Enfield fire. We're working hard to put it out http://t.co/WzwEVzpfjt pic.twitter.com/9bxxTRQCFM
— London Fire Brigade (@LondonFire) July 21, 2015
Fire crews from Chingford, Woodford, Dagenham, Holloway, Enfield, Edmonton, Stoke Newington and Tottenham fire stations were called to the scene. The cause of the fire is not yet known, but dramatic photographs from the scene shared on social media show huge plumes of smoke billowing from stacked wooden pallets.
@LondonFire fire dying down. Looks like you've got it under control. pic.twitter.com/gT2AAqtGsm
— James Wright (@J1MBO) July 21, 2015
The cause of the fire was under investigation, the fire brigade confirmed.
Shady Moustafa, who was working near the scene of the fire, told the London Evening Standard the heat was “intense”. “The first thing I thought was getting people evacuated, and then I started thinking about stock and the business,” he said. “A few of my colleagues ran over and said: ‘Move your car.’ My car wasn’t there, but one of the cars – the one right in the centre, right in the fire – [belongs to] one of my colleagues, and he’s pretty upset. That car park is a communal car park for all the businesses around here.”
#Enfield pallet yard fire is out but crews will be there throughout the day damping down http://t.co/WzwEVzpfjt pic.twitter.com/NxcJpD9fnT
— London Fire Brigade (@LondonFire) July 21, 2015
