Roads remain closed and police warn that businesses are likely to be hit after bank holiday

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Buildings and shops around an underground fire that blazed for more than 24 hours are still unlikely to be fully open for business almost a week on.



About 2,000 people were evacuated on Wednesday when police declared a major incident on Kingsway in Holborn, central London, after a blaze started in a service tunnel beneath the major road.

Witnesses said the fire caused pavements to explode. Roads were closed off and thousands of properties lost power, forcing West End theatres to cancel their performances.

Holborn electrical fire

The Metropolitan police said they have been made aware by partner agencies that some areas around Kingsway affected by the fire were unlikely to be fully opened for business after the bank holiday weekend.

The force said closures would continue to affect the running of public transport services in the area and added that people were advised to make alternative arrangements, as well as checking Transport for London updates.

Road users are advised to avoid the affected areas, while residents and businesses were told monitor Camden and Westminster councils’ websites for updates.

A spokesman for Camden council said traffic may not be able to use the road until Wednesday. He said this would pose delivery problems for businesses but there had been a suggestion that an escorted delivery system could be out in place for the time being.

A number of underground fires have been reported in London in recent years. In July, Piccadilly Circus in central London was closed after an electrical fault beneath a manhole cover caused an explosion which resulted in a lorry catching fire.

In February 2014, 50 people were evacuated from a street in north London when a pavement burst into flames. In April 2013, a fireball burst from a pavement in Pimlico Road, central London, narrowly missing a passer-by.

The cause of the Kingsway fire remains unknown. At its peak, about 70 firefighters and 10 engines attended.

The alarm was raised after thick black smoke and flames were seen rising from drains.