Motorists faced rush hour delays around Kew Bridge tonight after a manhole cover fire led to the closure of Chiswick High Road.
Firefighters remained at the scene this evening after flames sparked just before 3.45pm.
A spokeswoman for the London Fire Brigade said one crew were working to make the area safe.
She added the electricity board and Network Rail were also investigating the incident as the fire had affected the road bridge over the rail line next to Kew Bridge station.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Chiswick?src=hash" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-3126506-https://twitter.com/hashtag/Chiswick?src=hash" data-vars-event-id="c23">#Chiswick</a> High Road currently closed outside the leisure centre in all directions. That inc pedestrians.Avoid area if possible <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/MPSHounslow" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-3126506-https://twitter.com/MPSHounslow" data-vars-event-id="c23">@MPSHounslow</a> — Martin Sumner (@MPSChiswickSgt) <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/MPSChiswickSgt/status/671378372770062336" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-3126506-https://twitter.com/MPSChiswickSgt/status/671378372770062336" data-vars-event-id="c23">November 30, 2015</a>
Police said the road had been closed for "emergency maintenance".
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "Drivers are advised to avoid this area and find alternative routes where possible."
Motorists told of their frustration at the delays in posts on Twitter this evening.
Jenny Thomas de Cruz said: "Awful #gridlock in #Chiswick - 40 mins in the car and haven't reached A4 yet."
One person posted: "Traffic jam as Kew Bridge closed. Don't bother. Bus not moving westwards."
And another said: "#kewbridge closed due to fault. Massive tailbacks possible for next 2 hours."
