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Old Street Fire: Blaze in City of London now under control

Reportedly, smoke could be seen for 'miles around'

Olivia Blair
Thursday 12 November 2015 11:40 GMT
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The Old Street area is often dubbed the 'Silicon Roundabout'
The Old Street area is often dubbed the 'Silicon Roundabout' (Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

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A fire which broke out in a building in the Old Street area of the City of London is now under control.

According to the London Fire Brigade, 26 calls were made to the service at around 9am this morning.

The six-floor building on fire is currently under demolition.

The brigade initially sent six fire engines and 35 firefighters and officers to tackle the blaze in the EC1 postcode of London, this later increased to eight engines and 58 firefighters.

Firefighters tackled the blaze for around an hour before it was controlled; the LFB says crews will remain at the scene throughout the morning to dampen down the fire.

A spoksperson for the brigade said there are currently no reports of any injuries.

Station Manager Gareth Cook, who was at the scene said: "Crews worked hard to contain this blaze and to stop it from spreading. The main fire was concentrated around the building's lift shaft."

"This created a chimney effect, which is why smoke could be seen for miles around during the early stages of the incident."

The area, home to the Silicon Roundabout, is sometimes referred to as the 'Tech City' of London due to the cluster of tech start-ups based in the area.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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