This was the scene after an underground explosion under the pavement outside a high street bank in Barking.
Shoppers fled after electric cables caught flames and burst out of a manhole in Station Parade at around 2.30pm on Tuesday.
Firefighters tackled the blaze for nearly three hours closing down the usually busy shopping area.
A London Fire Brigade spokesman said: “Firefighters were called to a fire and explosion involving underground cabling on Station Parade in Barking.
“There were no reports of any injuries.
“The Brigade’s 999 Control Officers took 17 calls to the incident.
“The Brigade was called at 2.38pm and the fire was under control by 5.12pm. Three fire engines and around 15 firefighters from Millwall, Woodford and Barking fire stations attended the scene.”
A Met spokesman said: “This incident was dealt with by LFB and UK Power Networks.”
UK Power Networks said they had sent workmen to fix a “faulty piece of underground network equipment”.
They have turned off the power in the area affecting two postcodes. A spokesman said they expected power to return by 11pm.
