A major incident has been stood down after a London warehouse that may contain fireworks was engulfed in flames, the London Fire Brigade (LFB) said.
Around 150 firefighters and 25 fire engines attended the fire in a two-storey structure consisting of a warehouse and retail space on Bridge Road in Southall on Tuesday, the brigade said.
A major incident was declared at 12.20pm because of the “suspected presence of fireworks and cylinders being stored within the structure” and all firefighters at the scene withdrew to a safe distance, according to the LFB.
The major incident was stood down at 6.02pm and firefighters will remain at the location throughout the evening.
Around three-quarters of the structure was alight at the height of the incident, with around a quarter remaining so on Tuesday evening, the brigade said, adding that the warehouse roof had collapsed.
Three schools and a residential block were evacuated as a precaution.
“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.”
Crews from Southall, Heston, Ealing and surrounding fire stations were sent to the incident, while three turntable ladders were deployed to allow crews to fight the fire from height, the LFB added.
Assistant commissioner Pat Goulbourne said earlier on Tuesday that the fire was producing a large amount of smoke, with the plume visible across west London, and advised local residents to keep their doors and windows closed.
The cause of the fire is not yet known, the LFB said.
The brigade received 70 calls reporting the fire, with the first at 8.55am.
