Fire at electrical substation – City of London

Six fire engines and around 40 firefighters were called to a fire at an electrical substation on Ludgate Hill in The City of London.

A section of the external wall and insulation of a substation was destroyed by fire. Around 150 people left a neighbouring office building. There were no reports of any injuries.

Station Commander James Ryan, who was at the scene, said: “The cabling of an underground substation was alight and produced a considerable amount of smoke which travelled into the basement of a neighbouring office building.

“The power was isolated, and firefighters removed parts of the pavement to gain access to the fire and expose the trunking in a void, which was around 1.5 metres deep.

“An aerial ladder was used to give incident commanders a bird’s-eye-view of the incident and road closures were in place whilst crews worked to make the scene safe.”

The Brigade’s Fire Investigators believe the fire was accidental and caused by the unsafe disposal of smoking materials.

Safety advice for smokers:

• It's safer to smoke outside, but make sure cigarettes are put right out and disposed of properly.
• Never smoke in bed, and avoid smoking on armchairs and sofas – especially if you think you might fall asleep.
• Take extra care when you’re tired, taking prescription drugs or if you’ve been drinking alcohol.
• Use proper ashtrays, which can’t tip over and stub cigarettes out properly.
• Always empty ashtrays carefully. Make sure smoking materials are out, cold and preferably wet them before throwing into a bin – never use a wastepaper basket.

The Brigade was called at 1653 and the fire was under control by 1848. Fire crews from Dowgate, Shoreditch, Whitechapel, Soho and Euston fire stations attended the scene.