A massive fireball erupted from a London train station Monday, sending commuters scrambling to safety and shutting down rail service at the busy transit hub, dramatic new video shows.
Fifteen fire engines and about 100 firefighters dashed to the Elephant & Castle station shortly before 2 p.m. local time, with flames and billowing smoke engulfing the station, the Sun reported.
The blaze shut down rail traffic from the station, with trains still grounded “indefinitely” after the fire was brought under control later in the afternoon, the network said.
“There was a significant fire in a car garage in the railway arches, which also involved several cars outside the railway arches and a telephone box,” Shoreditch station commander James Ryan said.
“The smoke that was created by that fire also affected the main overground station of Elephant and Castle, which was subsequently closed as a precaution,” Ryan told The Sun.
Authorities said they received “nearly fifty” calls from the site, with the cause of the blaze yet to be determined, the network said.
Ten fire engines and at least 70 firefighters dashed to the Elephant & Castle station. AP
Commuters and shop owners ran as flames engulfed the station, leaving behind belongings. via REUTERSSix people were treated at the scene, including a police officer, with one of the injured transported to a local hospital.
Police evacuated nearby residents and merchants during the fire, and urged others to avoid the scene, according to the Sun.
Officials told the outlet that “dangerous chemicals” may have also been a factor in the fire. The Sun said earlier that initial reports indicated the fire may have broken out in an auto repair shop located near the station.
Officials said that “dangerous chemicals” may have been a factor in the fire. via REUTERS
As firefighters battled the blaze, police rushed to evacuate nearby residents and merchants. via REUTERS“We all had to run out of the shop,” a mechanic who works at a garage at the scene told the Sun. “I didn’t see how it started.”
“There were six of us in the shop at the time,” he said. “We left all our things in there and had to run. I could see flames about 7 meters [23 feet] high.”
“My phone is still in there and all my things,” he added. “There are three cars in there now and other things that can explode, so I don’t think we will be allowed back.”
One dramatic image posted on social media shows a police officer rushing two children from a nearby building.
Fire officials had cautioned Londoners to avoid the area until the blaze is brought under control, according to the outlet.
“The station has been evacuated and residential evacuations are taking place,” a Metropolitan Police spokesman said. “At this early stage the incident is not believed to be terror-related.”
