London Bridge station had to shut as 70 firemen battled a large fire that had started near to the station.
All trips will experience significant delays as a result of the station’s closure, which will last until further notice.
At 9.29 this morning, the London Fire Brigade got its first contact about the incident.
Around 40 firemen were sent, but ten more engines and 30 additional people were eventually requested to the area.
Firefighters from the nearby fire stations at Shadwell, Whitechapel, Shoreditch, Dowgate, and other locations are present.
The smoke, which has now seeped into railroad tunnels adjacent to London Bridge station, is being warned against, and locals are being asked to keep their windows and doors closed as a precaution.
After it was discovered that a railway arch was totally on fire, other buildings close to the fire were also evacuated.
While personnel are still working to make the situation safe, Southwark Street remains blocked between Southwark Bridge Road and Lavington Street.
The London Incident Brigade confirmed that the fire was brought under control around 11.20am.
While the Jubilee line between Wembley Park and Stanmore is partially halted and experiencing significant delays, the station has been entirely closed.
There have been no recorded casualties, and neither Southwark Underground Station nor London Bridge Station have reopened.
It is anticipated that there will be significant delays between London Bridge and Waterloo East until at least 3 p.m. today.
‘Those living or working in the immediate vicinity are asked to keep their windows and doors closed,’ said Southwark station Commander Wayne Johnson, who was on the site.
In addition to many buildings being evacuated, trains to and from London Bridge are impacted.
The 999 operators for the Brigade received 35 calls about the incident and were able to capture video of it by requesting people to live stream using their mobile devices.
“When the Brigade receives a 999 call, the caller may be asked whether they would want to give a live video broadcast of the situation using their smartphone,” the London Fire Brigade said.
A secure, one-time-use link that launches a live broadcast directly from the phone to the control room will be sent through text message by the control officer.
Better situational awareness is made possible by 999Eye, which also enables us to deliver the finest guidance based on live video.
British Transport Police and Southwark-based Metropolitan Police officers are supporting the London Fire Brigade as they react to the situation.
“London Fire is presently responding to a fire in Southwark,” stated Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.
Please stay away from the area and let the London Fire Brigade handle the situation. The stations at London Bridge and Southwark are shut down. The Jubilee line is also experiencing delays.
Please visit the TfL website for additional details.
The fire, which is located on Union Street in Southwark, has’severely interrupted’ all services via London Bridge, according to train operator Southeastern.
Services on all lines via London Bridge are substantially interrupted as a result of a fire near to the track between Waterloo East and London Bridge, the company announced on Twitter.
Trains are being terminated at alternate places or redirected to other London terminals.
Lauren Chopin, a local student who lives in an apartment two minutes’ walk from the fire, said that the fumes forced her to wear a mask inside her home.
The 20-year-old stated, “There is a lot of smoke along Union Street and other streets, and there are numerous fire emergency services working to put out the fire.”
We have locked all doors and windows to reduce the quantity of smoke pouring in. Occasionally, the smoke slows down and becomes whiter before exploding once again in a massive burst.
While at work, a social media manager reported hearing “fire alarms going off” and being startled to see “black smoke pouring” in Southwark.
Lee Scarratt, 36, reported seeing extremely heavy grey/black smoke shooting out over the roofs of the buildings across the street from his office building at about 9.30 a.m.
Fire alarms going off and people swarming at the end of the road were sounds I could hear.
Then a vehicle for emergencies and four fire engines showed there. The smoke kept growing in thickness, becoming very visible in the sky.
He said, “It was behind the buildings across the street,” adding that his workplace was “near enough” to view the smoke plainly. He was unsure of the exact distance.
According to him, the fire engines arrived five to ten minutes after smoke began to pour out of the buildings, and at the end of the road, there was a “large” gathering that was “probably a combination of evacuated individuals and passersby.”
The smoke forced Hanushe Lala, a resident of south London’s Streatham, to leave her place of employment.
Around 9.44 a.m., I was in a conference. At that time, everyone was looking around to see whether the alarms were genuine.
The 24-year-old, who works in facilities management, said that “then we all was instructed to evacuate the premises.”
“Everything is surrounded, and the archway is spewing thick, black smoke.”
The location was crowded with people about 30 minutes ago, but now everyone is beginning to disperse since they have informed us that we won’t be let back in for a long because the fire is so terrible and becoming worse.
According to Network Rail, the fire that was impacting the London Bridge services occurred in a railway arch.
A fire started in an arch under (the) railway, it tweeted.
“London Fire Brigade is on the scene with several pumps, and we have stopped the railway until we can establish it is safe,” the statement reads.
The statement said, “We’re working with London Fire Brigade, and before we can reopen, we will need to assess the railway.” I appreciate your patience with us.
Four lines were reportedly stopped by the fire, which also extended to a parking lot and ignited many electric vehicles, according to Network Rail.
Trains couldn’t enter or leave the station because smoke was detected spreading over many rail lines.
Thameslink has informed its customers that a number of ongoing issues, including the fire at London Bridge, are having an effect on its services.
Customers who need to go to London Bridge are advised to “change at East Croydon for a Southern service,” according to the firm.
Although the source of the fire is yet unclear, people are being warned to stay away from the area.