A devastating fire has broken out in the railway arches in Southwark, South London that has caused travel chaos for thousands due to London Bridge station being forced into temporary closure.
The flames quickly spread across the tracks reaching a nearby car park, promptly setting two electric vehicles ablaze. London Bridge station was then promptly evacuated, seeing a plethora of scared commuters’ flea from the spreading flames. Residents near the incident have been instructed to keep windows and doors shut to avoid the “heavy smoke.”
The origin of this disastrous fire has not yet been identified, with London Fire Brigade confirming. After receiving 33 calls about the blaze from those in or around the scene, the fires service sprung to the scene to tackle the ongoing blaze seeing 70 firefighters at the scene near Union Street, just south of the River Thames
London Fire Brigade station commander Wayne Johnson said from the scene:
"The blaze is producing heavy smoke and those living or working in the local area are advised to keep their windows and doors closed.
"Trains to and from London Bridge are affected and several buildings have been evacuated."
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has urged people to “please avoid the area and allow the London Fire Brigade to do their job”.
The majority of train services in the affected route will now face major disruptions with Southeastern Railway, the operator for Waterloo and London Bridge Stations, confirming that all routes through London Bridge are disrupted.
Southeastern Railway wrote on Twitter:
"Due to a fire next to the track between Waterloo East and London Bridge, services across all routes through London Bridge are severely disrupted.
"Trains are being diverted to other London Terminals or terminated at alternative locations."
This is an ongoing situation, with more information likely to be released throughout the day, so all passengers for the affected rail routes must ensure they take every precaution necessary to ensure their safe travel.
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