Fireworks may be stored inside a west London warehouse which was engulfed in flames on Tuesday, emergency services warned.
About 150 firefighters and 25 fire engines were 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.
Three-quarters of the building was ablaze at the height of the incident, with around a quarter remaining so on Tuesday evening, the brigade said, adding the warehouse roof had collapsed.
Three schools and a residential block of flats were evacuated as a precaution.
A major incident had been declared before being stood down at 6.02pm and firefighters will remain at the location throughout the night.
The London fire commissioner, Jonathan Smith, told the PA news agency: “To everyone in the area, just keep yourself safe.
“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.”
Crews from Southall, Heston, Ealing and surrounding fire stations were responding to the blaze, the LFB added.
Three turntable ladders had been deployed previously to allow crews to fight the fire from height, but firefighters have since withdrawn for safety reasons.
Earlier, Pat Goulbourne, the brigade’s incident commander said: “All firefighters have withdrawn to a safe distance and are now fighting the fire from a greater distance to ensure crew safety.
“Firefighters are working hard to bring this fire safely under control. Due to the complex nature of the site, and the size of the fire, this will be a protracted incident with crews continuing firefighting operations through the day,” he added.
Goulbourne said the fire was producing a large amount of smoke, and advised residents to close their doors and windows until the fire was put out. He also suggested drivers avoid the area.
First reports of the fire were received at 8.55am, the LFB said, adding that there were about 60 calls in total.
The cause of the fire was not yet known, the LFB added.
