Two fire engines and around ten firefighters attended the scene of a ruptured gas main in Leicester Square.
A 50 metre cordon was put in place in place and people from nearby properties were evacuated while engineers from Cadent Gas worked to repair the gas main. They also carried out a check of gas levels in nearby properties.
Station Commander Clive Robinson said: “Around 200 people have been evacuated from surrounding buildings and a hotel.
“Crews are expected to remain on scene throughout the morning.”
The Brigade was called at 0701 and the incident was over for fire crews by 1324.