Ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters and officers were called to a fire at a university building on Strand this afternoon.
Part of a store room in a sub basement of the university building was damaged in the blaze. Approximately 100 people left the building before the arrival of the Brigade.
Station Manager Joe Kenny who was at the scene said: “Basement fires are always challenging and crews have worked incredibly hard in arduous conditions. As well as the lack of visibility and heat, our firefighters had to contend with a lack of ventilation so they slowly and steadily progressed through the building tackling the fire until it was extinguished.”
The Brigade was called at 1334 and the fire was under control at 1712. Fire crew from Euston, Islington, Bethnal Green, Soho, Dowgate, Chelsea and other surrounding fire stations attended the incident.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.