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| London on Sunday night after a massive fire broke out on the embankment of a railway line |
Residents were evacuated from their homes in east London on Sunday night after a massive fire broke out on the embankment of a railway line, sending thick smoke into the sky and partially paralyzing train traffic.
The London Fire Brigade (LFB) called in massive reinforcements to control the fire that broke out near Valentine Road in the Walthamstow area, with 20 fire engines and about 125 firefighters rushing to the scene.
The authority reported that the fire completely destroyed one house, damaged another (in its rear annex), and destroyed gardens and cottages belonging to approximately 30 properties in the area. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
Initial information indicates that the fire was caused by an electrical short circuit resulting from a tree falling onto power lines.
As a result of the enormous amounts of smoke rising from the fire site, firefighters advised residents in the area to close their windows and doors tightly, while drivers were asked to avoid the area, particularly "Wood Street".
The fire also caused a partial closure of the Overground's "Weaver" line, disrupting the movement of thousands of passengers.
To combat the fire from above, the authority deployed a 32-meter-high hydraulic ladder to be used as a water tower, in addition to using a drone team to assess the fire hotspots.
In a statement, Tom Goodall, Assistant Commissioner of the London Fire Brigade, said: "We have deployed huge resources to this fire, and firefighters have worked in hot and difficult conditions to bring the blaze under control as quickly as possible."
He added: "The teams worked hard to prevent the fire from spreading to other homes," noting that the agency would maintain a large presence on site throughout the night to fully extinguish the fire.
For her part, Stella Creese, the local MP for the area, posted videos from the scene on Instagram, urging people to avoid the Wood Street area to allow rescue teams to support the evacuated families. She also called on volunteers to provide food and water at the St. Mary's Welcome Centre.
Later, the British MP confirmed that most of the residents who were evacuated from the surrounding roads could return to their homes after the majority of the fire was brought under control, while a temporary shelter was opened at the Walthamstow Central Library in cooperation with Waltham Forest Borough Council to house those affected.
