Six fire engines and around 35 firefighters and officers were called to deal with a burst water main on Avenue Road in Primrose Hill this morning.
The burst main caused the road to flood for around half a mile to a depth of around six inches until the water authority isolated the water supply. The ground floor and basement car park of a block of flats was also affected - flooding to a depth of around 15 feet and submerging a number of cars. Another car park in a neighbouring block of flats was flooded to around six inches. Twenty five people were assisted from their homes and temporarily relocated to nearby houses.
Station Manager Matt Burrows who was at the scene said:
“Crews pumped away water and carried residents from the flat most affected by the flooding and we sand bagged other properties to protect them as much as we could."
Six fire engines from West Hampstead, Paddington, Euston and Kentish Town fire stations were at the scene. The Brigade was called at 0533. The worst of the incident was over by around midday but crews remained at the scene to pump out the basement and ground floor of the most seriously affected block of flats.
The Brigade has a range of equipment which can be used to help rescue people trapped by flood water, pump water away and protect properties. Some of the Brigade's fire rescue units are equipped with water rescue equipment such as inflatable rescue boats. The Brigade also has a number of high volume pumps stationed at strategic locations across the capital. These can be used to pump large amounts of water away from flooded areas.