Wood Lane Latest: Blaze is Now Contained

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But London Fire Brigade expect to be on the scene for some time

London Fire Brigade have confirmed that the major fire on Wood Lane in Shepherd's Bush has been contained by early afternoon on Tuesday, but say that they expect to remain on the site for some hours to come.

Earlier, as a huge plume of smoke rose over the Wood Lane, north of Westfield Shopping Centre, there were worries that the site, a former dairy now among a number of industrial warehouses, may contain gas cylinders which could explode in the heat.

The number of fire crews at the scene grew during the morning until 100 firefighters from Hammersmith, North Kensington, Willesden, Kensington, Paddington and Chiswick fire stations were attending the incident.

Staff working at the nearby BBC buildings were warned that some areas may need to be evacuated. Measures were also being taken to ensure that smoke was not allowed to enter are circulation within the buildings.

At around 1pm, London Fire Brigade's Twitter feed reported: " We've found one acetylene cylinder at the site of the Wood Lane fire. Crews are currently cooling it to make it safe."

An hour later came confirmation that the fire had been contained.

The fire has caused widespread traffic chaose with roads all around closed, tube stations shut and local buses diverted. TfL say that as of around 2pm,

• London Overground services are currently suspended between Clapham Junction and Willesden Junction.
• London Underground services are not currently affected by this incident.
• The following bus routes have been placed on a local diversion: 72, 95, 148, 220, 272 and 283.

Westfield Shopping Centre meanwhile says its car park is open but road closures mean there is currently no access to it.

The site, a former dairy owned by Unigate and then Dairy Crest, is now owned by developers Helical Bar and Aviva Investments, who are planning to redevelop it as part of the White City Opportunity Area, an area of land earmarked by Hammersmith and Fulham Council and the Mayor of London for major regeneration.

In May last year, they appointed Eric Parry Architects to create a masterplan for a proposed mixed use development which will include 1,500 new homes on the 10 acre site. In November they held to the first of a series of public consultations on their plans, and are expected to announced further plans shortly.

 

January 31, 2012