Staples Corner fire: Huge blaze sends 'fireballs' shooting into the sky in north London

Six fire engines & 30 firefighters still at scene this morning damping down the final remaining pockets of fire
Robin de Peyer9 January 2018

Witnesses have told how a blaze at a paint factory sent “fireballs” shooting into the air in north-west London.

Almost 100 firefighters were called on to tackle the blaze which completely destroyed the building in Staples Corner.

Achal Dhillon, 33, described how the fire sent balls of fire pluming up to 100 metres into the sky.

Witnessing the fire spread through the building Mr Dhillon, after spotting what was initially a small blaze or a "little dot", said there was then a "loud pop".

Shocked witnesses reported hearing explosions as the fire broke out
@MPSBarnet

"Then we saw a lot of flames suddenly rise up by themselves... then just this huge mountain of fire, almost pyramid shaped and spiralling as it was shooting fireballs into the air," he said.

Mr Dhillon said there was a "huge trail of thick black smoke" and he was "amazed" at how quickly the fire service responded, adding that it was probably only a couple of minutes before they arrived and were tackling the flames.

LFB said that it was called at 9.20pm on Monday night and took more than 45 999 calls in relation to the blaze before it was brought under control at about 12.22am on Tuesday.

Flames and smoke were visible for miles around
Shulem Stern

A spokesman said the "significant" fire could be seen across London.

"The fire completely destroyed the single storey building. Factory workers left before the Brigade arrived," they added.

There were no reports of any injuries and firefighters remained at the scene throughout the night damping down pockets of fire.

The cause of the fire, which broke out at about 9.20pm, is under investigation.

Six fire engines & 30 firefighters were still at the scene this morning damping down the final remaining pockets of fire.

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