A dramatic blaze at a building site in the West End in London that prompted fears of an explosion has been brought under control.

London fire brigade (LFB) said 72 firefighters and officers were sent to Great Portland Street following reports of a fire at 12.45pm. The road is close to Oxford Street, the capital’s busiest shopping street.

A column of black smoke visible from miles away could be seen rising from the fire in pictures posted on social media. Firefighters fearing an explosion set up an emergency exclusion zone after learning gas cylinders were involved in the blaze.

The Great Portland Street fire is in a building under refurbishment. There are a number of gas cylinders involved in the blaze. A exclusion zone of 25 metres has been set up, as a precaution, as some cylinders can explode when exposed to heat. https://t.co/9CjnHCr7Lp — London Fire Brigade (@LondonFire) February 17, 2018

The building had been under refurbishment, the LFB said, with neighbours reporting that developers were converting it into flats.

No one was injured in the fire, Scotland Yard confirmed. A spokesman for LFB said the fire was officially declared under control at 1.45pm.

More than 40 calls were made to 999, LFB said.

Twitter users posted pictures of the smoke visible from as far as Peckham, five miles away in south-east London.



