London Fire Brigade rushed to the scene near Vallentin Road and Shernall Street in north London where a large fire was tearing through multiple properties in Walthamstow(Image: Supplied)
The Weaver Line of the London Overground will be part-suspended all day today (Monday, July 13) for urgent repairs after a major fire ripped through a railway embankment and affected nearby outhouses and gardens. London Fire Brigade received the first call about the blaze at Walthamstow at 6.27pm on Sunday, July 12, and sent 25 fire engines and around 125 firefighters to tackle the blaze.
Residents were told to keep their windows and doors shut and avoid the area around Vallentin Road, Wood Street and Shernall Street. The fire was finally brought under control at 10.35pm. The Weaver Line of the London Overground was shut down entirely during Sunday’s blaze and remains part-suspended as repairs continue.
Transport for London stated: “All day today there will be no service between Hackney Downs and Chingford while we conduct urgent repairs to the track following a line side fire near Wood Street. Please use London Underground and London Buses to complete your journey. A good service on the rest of the line.”
LFB Assistant Commissioner Tom Goodall, who was at the scene in east London, praised firefighters for bringing the incident under control. He said: “This was a significant incident affecting the community this evening. We deployed a significant amount of resources to this fire and firefighters worked in hot and arduous conditions to bring it under control as swiftly as possible.
“One house was alight, and a second home has suffered damage to a rear extension. The gardens of around 30 properties have also unfortunately been affected by the fire. However, crews worked extremely hard to prevent the fire from spreading to further homes.
“A railway embankment was also alight and this has caused disruption to the Weaver London Overground line. We have worked closely with Transport for London and the British Transport Police to support passengers on stopped trains. All passengers have now left the railway.”
Mr Goodall confirmed firefighters had brought the blaze under control after hours of work. He added: “The Brigade will retain a significant presence on the scene through the night, working to fully extinguish the fire.”
The fire affected one house, multiple gardens and sheds as well as a railway embankment(Image: EssexLive/Laura Fidler.)
There have been no reports of any injuries. Two rest centres have been opened for evacuated residents, although crews are hopeful that most people will be able to return home tonight.
At the height of the incident, thick smoke billowed across the area and residents were advised to keep their windows and doors shut. That advice has now been lifted. Motorists are still being urged to steer clear of Wood Street, Shernhall Street and the surrounding roads, where closures remain in place.
Fire Control Officers received around 120 calls about the fire(Image: EssexLive/Laura Fidler.)
Earlier in the evening, London Fire Brigade confirmed a railway embankment, a number of gardens and several outbuildings close to the railway line had caught fire. The Brigade received more than 100 emergency calls, with crews from Tottenham, Bethnal Green, Walthamstow, Chingford and surrounding fire stations sent to the scene.
Local MP Stella Creasy said there had been “an electrical fire on the train lines”. “We have got a major incident in Wood Street,” she said. “There is a serious fire with a lot of roads and people being evacuated.”
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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