A massive blaze near a Hackney station has thrown London’s rail network into disarray, leading to cancellations and disruptions of both tube and overground services.
Social media videos captured dramatic scenes of thick smoke rising from the intense fire near Hackney Downs Station on Sunday evening.
To tackle the inferno, eight fire engines and 60 firefighters were dispatched from various stations across north and east London. The fire ignited around 6 PM in a residential area known as Cottrill Gardens.
According to the London Fire Brigade, the flames engulfed a static caravan, two vehicles, and part of a grassy embankment.
As a result of the incident, Transport for London has halted operations on two rail lines passing through Hackney, allowing emergency crews to manage the situation.
The entire Mildmay Line is experiencing significant delays, with no trains running between Stratford and Gospel Oak. The Weaver Line, after a temporary halt, is also facing substantial disruptions.
All lines out of one of the capital’s busiest stations, Liverpool Street, have also been disrupted.
Holidaymakers travelling to Stansted Airport from the central London hub have been warned that their journeys could be cancelled, delayed or revised.
The Greater Anglia service from Liverpool Street to Audley End is also affected, as is the station’s service north to Enfield Town.
Dozens of firefighters are tackling an enormous blaze near Hackney Downs Station in east London
Video footage posted to social media shows dark smoke billowing into the air over an aggressive fire near Hackney Downs Station on Sunday evening
National Rail warned that travel problems are expected to last until at least 9pm in a statement.
It added: ‘A fire next to the track at Hackney Downs means that all lines are disrupted. As a result, trains running between London Liverpool Street and Seven Sisters / Tottenham Hale may be cancelled or delayed by up to 20 minutes.’
The Central Line is currently experiencing ‘minor delays’ caused by a fire alert at Leytonstone. It is unclear whether the disruption has been at all affected by the Hackney Downs fire, though the line runs through Liverpool Street.
Network Rail staff and firefighters remain at the scene, where the fire has since been contained.
No one was injured and an investigation has been launched to uncover what sparked the huge blaze.
A statement from the London Fire Brigade read: ‘Eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters tackled a fire on Cottrill Gardens in Hackney.
At the height of the fire, a static caravan and two cars were alight, as well as part of a grass embankment. There are currently no reports of any injuries.
Control Officers took the first of over 20 calls at 6.10pm and mobilised crews from Homerton, Leyton, Whitechapel and surrounding fire stations to the scene. The fire was under control by 8.42pm. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Football fans trying to get home from fixtures on the final day of the Premier League could also experience problems.
Arsenal supporters returning to north London from Crystal Palace via Liverpool Street may suffer delays, as could fans who attended fixtures at Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United this afternoon.
The blaze comes on the same day that a heatwave was officially declared in south-east England after temperatures soared to 32C.
Saturday marked the first time this year the United Kingdom had passed 30C, with areas such as Downham and Heathrow marked as some of the warmest in the country.
And the heatwave is unlikely to relent just yet, with forecasters predicting that temperatures could rise to as warm as 34C in Greater London on Bank Holiday Monday.
Heat health alerts remain in place in London, across the south-east and west towards the Midlands, while the rest of England has been placed under a yellow alert.
A Met Office spokesperson said: ‘We rarely see temperatures above 35C, even in the summer months, so to see temperatures getting close to 35 in May is, as I say, pretty historic.’
