London: Major fire near Olympic Games site

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Editor's Note: See all of our London Fire coverage here.

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[q
url="http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article3152875.ece"]Firefighters
were today dealing with a major blaze in a disused bus depot in east
London said to be where extensive redevelopment is taking place for the
2012 Olympics.

The fire created a huge pall of smoke over the capital. Scotland
Yard does not believe the incident to be terror-related. So far there
are no reports of any casualties.

The fire brigade said 15 engines and 75 firefighters were now
attending the blaze at the single-storey warehouse in Waterden Road,
Hackney Wick, near Stratford following the first call at 12.06pm.

Businesses in the road have been re-located recently to enable preparations for the Games to take place.

The high-speed Channel Tunnel rail link runs nearby.

Network Rail spokesman said the North London rail line had been
closed between Dalston and Stratford because of the smoke affecting
Hackney Wick station. Passengers were advised to consult national rail
inquiries before beginning their journeys.

A police spokesman said, "We've got nothing to suggest that it is anything other than a fire at the moment."

A Scotland Yard spokesman said there were no reports of an
explosion. Local police were responding and there had been a large
number of 999 calls.

London Ambulance service say there are no reports of any injuries at this stage.

The bright and clear weather conditions meant the plume of smoke from the fire was visible over large areas of London.

Paul Mott, a meteorologist for MeteoGroup, the weather division of
the Press Association, said visibility was generally around 12 to 18
miles (20 to 30km).

He added that the north-westerly wind was "fairly light", meaning that the plume would be blowing south-eastwards.

Shortly before 1pm police evacuated a nearby studio block and print works as black smoke billowed from the fire.

Ruth Ward-Jackson, a 26-year-old print designer, explained how she and her colleagues saw the blaze develop.

She said: "It was huge with a massive amount of black smoke and yellow flames coming out of it.[/q]

[q
url="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/7090725.stm"]A
huge blaze has broken out in east London close to where the main
stadium for the London Olympics will be built.

The London Fire Brigade were called at 1206 GMT on Monday to reports
of a fire at a disused warehouse in Waterden Road, Hackney Wick, near
Stratford.

About 75 firefighters are tackling the fire which has created a huge
plume of black smoke that can be seen across the city's skyline.

Waterden Road runs through the site where the 2012 Olympics will be held.

'Not terrorism'

The warehouse is on the western edge of the proposed site of the
Olympic Village and was set to be demolished in the next few months.

The Metropolitan Police are investigating the incident but have so far discounted a terrorist motive.

The blaze has disrupted rail services in east London

"We have nothing to suggest that this is anything other than a fire at the moment," said a police spokesman.

London Ambulance Service have said there are no reports of any casualties.

The blaze is close to the Channel Tunnel high speed rail link,
however Eurostar has said the fire is not having an impact on
services.

miamipress.net[/q]

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