Clapham Common: Passengers smash Tube train windows in fire alert

Passengers smashed their way out of a Tube train in south London following a fire alert on Friday evening.

The northbound train was stopped at Clapham Common station at about 17:50 BST when people were seen breaking the train's windows and climbing out.

There had been no reports of any injuries, according to British Transport Police (BTP).

A spokesperson for Transport for London (TfL) said: "The fire brigade attended and confirmed there was no fire."

British Transport Police said no one was believed to have been injured during the incident

The alert at the station was believed to have been due to a mechanical fault involving a ventilation fan on the train, the operator told BBC London.

TFL said an investigation into the incident had been launched, adding: "We're sorry for the distress caused at Clapham Common."

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A spokesperson for London Fire Brigade said about 500 people had left the train before crews from Battersea, Tooting and Brixton arrived at the scene.

"Investigations are ongoing, but the report of smoke is believed to have been caused by the train's brakes," they added.

In a statement on Twitter, BTP said: "The issue is believed to have been caused by brake dust which can often be confused with burning."

'Screaming and shouting'

Jamie McConkey, who was on the station platform, said there was a "strong smell of smoke" inside the station and people were "screaming" to get out of the train.

"I could hear people banging on the inside of the windows and there were passengers on the platform starting to try to wrench the doors open," he told BBC London.

"It looked pretty scary. I ran over and people were banging on the windows, and some of them were screaming and shouting and trying to force their way through the doors.

"The doors had just jammed completely. People were trying to wrench them open, including myself.

"There were arms and legs sort of hanging out and people seemed really, really frightened. Some of them looked white as sheets."

There was a fire alert in Clapham Common tube station on Friday evening, Transport for London said

A passenger who was on the train said: "We were all stuck inside the Tube with locked doors.

"We could hear people at the other end of the Tube screaming and banging on the doors and windows to get out of tube carriages.

"We had no idea what was going on. People on the platform and in the Tube were smashing through the windows to get out. I now realise that's because the Tube carriages were filling with smoke."

There were severe delays on the Northern Line as a result of the incident, TfL said.

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