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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
National
Georgia Bell

Holborn fire LIVE: Firefighters tackle underground blaze in heart of London

Holborn London London Fire Brigade the London Fire Brigade

Firefighters have rushed to a blaze in an underground utilities tunnel in Holborn.

London Fire Brigade said 10 fire engines and around 70 firefighters have been called to the scene on Theobolds Road, central London, on Wednesday morning.

Surrounding roads have been closed and the London Fire Brigade has urged people to avoid the area if possible.

Scroll down for the latest updates...

Workers escorted out of buildings as offices evacuated

12:44 , Georgia Bell

Nearby office workers have been escorted out of their buildings by the London Fire Brigade.

They have been ushered through police tape to collect their belongings from buildings near the scene

One man, who was working as part of a film crew, said: “We were filming and then I looked out the window and there was a huge fire.

“Apparently one of the wires underground caused it - I heard it happpens a lot.”

Traffic blocked on Bloomsbury Square

12:42 , Georgia Bell

Traffic has been closed off on Bloomsbury Square while firefighters continue to attend to the scene

(Claudia Lee)
(Claudia Lee)

Southampton Row closed due to fire

12:40 , Georgia Bell

Southampton Row has been closed off with firefighters working on the site.

A businessman working inside the cordoned off area said they still have power.

He said, “we're all still working, everyone's fine.”

(Claudia Lee)

Heavy police presence in Holborn fire area

12:36 , Georgia Bell

A heavy police presence has been reported in the area surrounding the scene of a fire, which broke out in an underground tunnel in Holborn this morning.

The police are joined by the London Ambulance Service and the London Fire Brigade as emergency services respond to the fire.

There is no indication anyone has been injured in the fire.

(Ella Griffin)

Smoke coming up from the street

11:42 , Georgia Bell

Smoke from an underground fire in Holborn is filling the streets while firefighters work desperately to get it under control.

In a video shared to X, both police officers and fire fighters can be seen at the scene as the streets fill with smoke.

Traffic continues in surrounding area while roads thick with smoke

11:11 , Georgia Bell

Massive smoke clouds have filled the streets around Theobalds Road in Holborn after a fire broke out in an underground tunnel.

People have been advised to avoid the area while firefighters respond.

Footage posted on X shows cars attempting to navigate through the smoke and visibility on the streets significantly compromised.

Massive black smoke clouds fill Holborn

11:00 , Georgia Bell

Clouds of black smoke billow around the scene of the fire which was reported at an underground tunnel in Holborn, central London on Wednesday.

Photos show the smoke clouds fogging the roads and affecting visibility in the surrounding area.

This comes just one day after a fire in Southall raged from morning to night and was declared a major incident.

Signficiant disruption and delays in surrounding area in Holborn

10:58 , Georgia Bell

The fire has caused signficant delays in the surrounding area, including road closures and diversions of bus routes.

Passengers, drivers and commuters are advised to avoid the area around Theobald’s Road in Holborn.

Electrical cables affected in underground tunnel

10:57 , Georgia Bell

Electrical cables in central London have been affected by a fire in an underground tunnel in Holborn.

The London Fire Brigade reported that crews are at the scene responding to the developing incident.

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