Ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters from Southall, Hayes, Feltham, Heathrow and surrounding fire stations were called to tackle a fire at a garage on Tachbrook Road in Southall at 11:45 this morning.
Most of a single-storey commercial garage, an adjoining storage area and several cars were alight. A container of oil was also alight. Around 30 people were evacuated from neighbouring properties. There are currently no reports of any injuries.
Three cylinders were removed from the building before the fire engines arrived and firefighters cooled them to an ambient temperature as some cylinders can explode when exposed to heat. A 25-metre cordon was in place as a precaution.
999 control room officers took over 40 calls to the blaze.
The fire was under control by 1:50pm although firefighters remain on scene this afternoon damping down.
Station Commander Graeme Hunter, who was at the scene, said: “The fire produced heavy smoke, which was visible for miles. We urged residents in the area to close their windows and doors.
“There is some disruption to traffic, so we encourage people to avoid the area whilst crews continue to work to make the scene safe.” The cause of the fire is under investigation.
