Elephant and Castle fire caused by electrical fault

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Elephant and Castle fireImage source, Reuters
Image caption,

Several people reported hearing explosions after the fire took hold beneath railway arches

A huge fire which left six people needing medical treatment in south London was caused by an electrical car fault, London Fire Brigade (LFB) have said.

About 100 firefighters battled the blaze by Elephant and Castle station on Tuesday 29 June.

LFB said the fire was "accidental" and was caused by an electrical fault within a car in a spray booth.

600 people were evacuated from the area, and trains stopped running.

Three commercial units underneath the railway arches were completely destroyed by the fire, LFB said.

Media caption,

Several roads were closed as a huge plume of smoke billowed into the sky

"Eight cars that were inside the garage and a further six that were outside and one telephone box were also destroyed," LFB added in a statement.

LFB also revealed 46 calls were received and that 15 fire engines, including from nearby stations on Old Kent Road, Lambeth and Soho attended.

The fire was extinguished within four hours and 15 minutes and rail services resumed within a day.

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