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Holborn fire: Witnesses 'struggle to breathe' - as it happened
Witnesses report 'chaos' as smoke seeps through drains after electrical blaze under pavement in Kingsway, central London, causes widespread evacuation - latest updates
• Huge underground cable fire as flames shoot from manholes
• Holborn blaze brought under control as firefighters stand ready
• Witnesses 'struggle to breathe' as smoke seeps through drains
• Fire crews wait for hours for utility companies to turn off power
• Commuters endure traffic gridlock and West End shows cancelled
• Gallery: dramatic pictures from scene of ongoing blaze
• Video: footage captures flames coming up street in Kingsway
Latest
21.10 The fire is now under control and 21 firefighters will remain at the scene into the night to monitor.
19.30 The Lion King, Beautiful - The Carole King Musical, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Gypsy, The Woman in Black, Mamma Mia!, and The Play That Goes Wrong have all been affected by the blaze because of power outages in the area.
2,000 people have been evacuated since the fire began this afternoon, and no-one is believed to be injured.
Letters Live at Freemason's Hall starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Louise Brealey has also been cancelled according to statements from the theatres.
Made in Dagenham, Oppenheimer, War Horse and Memphis the Musical will go ahead. The Royal Opera House remains open.
19.15 Holborn station reopens - trains running normally.
19.10 Fire crews and electrical engineers still on the scene of the Holborn fire.
18.38
Transport for London says long delays remain on all approaches to the road closures around the fire:
• Kingsway - shut in both directions
• Southampton Row - shut in both directions
• Waterloo Bridge - shut northbound
• High Holborn - shut between Red Lion Street and New Oxford Street
Holborn Underground station remains closed because of a power failure related to the fire, with tickets being accepted on local buses to stations either side.
Monument station has reopened after a brief closure.
18.22
A thermal imaging camera from a police helicopter based at Redhill, in Surrey, showed heat spots from drain covers around the scene of the blaze.
This helped fire crews establish the full extent of the underground fire, a spokesman said.
18.15
To recap: dozens of firefighters this evening remain at the scene of the blaze in Holborn - on a busy road in the heart of central London.
Crews are working to prevent flames from spreading to nearby buildings.
They are having to wait to turn off all power supplies before tackling the blaze with water because it is an electrical fire.
London Fire Brigade have said no injuries are reported. Commuters are advised to avoid the area.
Flames are seen shooting from a manhole cover in Holborn (Getty)
Firefighters at the scene of the underground fire affecting Holborn and Kingsway (Getty)
17.55
Here's aerial footage showing the scale of the fire, which has been sending thick smoke into the air across large parts of central London.
17.45
We've just had an update from London Fire Brigade Assistant Commissioner Peter Cowup:
"Crews are currently working to prevent the spread of the fire to surrounding buildings.
"We are working closely with the various electricity companies involved to identify the source and extent of the fire which is underground. As this is likely to be an electrical fire we have to ensure the power is off before we apply water to extinguish it.
“We are working with our partners and implementing well-rehearsed plans to prevent the fire from spreading and to protect surrounding properties.”
Crews from fire stations including Soho, Lambeth, Dowgate, Shoreditch and Euston are attending the incident.
The London Fire Brigade added that the cause of the fire is not yet known.
Fire crews at the scene of the blaze in Kingsway (LNP)
17.37
The blaze is in the heart of Theatreland and is leading to disruption for ticket-holders of several big shows tonight.
Performance of The Lion King, at the Lyceum; Beautiful, at the Aldwych; and The Play That Goes Wrong, at the Duchess, are all reported to have been cancelled as the fire-fighting operation continues.
17.25
Witnesses have been speaking about how the whole area "seems to be in darkness" as the blaze continues this afternoon.
Teacher Cath Davies said she had been in a cafe waiting for a friend when customers were asked to leave.
"There are a lot of curious people wondering what's happened," said Ms Davies. "Kingsway is blocked off and there are police and firemen everywhere.
"From the end of the street you could see smoke pouring out. It seemed to be coming from under a building. The area seems to be in darkness."
17.18
Here's some new video footage showing flames coming up through the street in Holborn.
17.06
We've pulled together a
from the Holborn fire this afternoon.
Firecrews attend the scene of the fire on Kingsway (Joel Goodman/LNP)
16.56
Among those evacuated in the area were judges, lawyers and staff at the nearby Royal Courts of Justice on the Strand.
Witness Nicola Foxfield, 29, said: "I was walking from Covent Garden towards Holborn and I could smell burning in the air.
"As I got closer I could see fire engines everywhere then I could see loads of thick, brown smoke rising off the road.
"It's chaos and fire engines are coming from every direction and there are so many people around."
Another witness said he "struggled to breathe" as smoke seeped through the drains as he walked along Aldwych, at the bottom of Kingsway.
He said: "I had just cycled over Waterloo Bridge and as I approached Kingsway I saw a big crowd of people and smoke billowing towards me.
"The fire crews and police officers were beginning to cordon off the area. I was close enough to see thick black smoke puffing out of the drain grills and I struggled to breathe.
"Hundreds of people were leaving their buildings on Fleet Street and Kingsway."
Office workers were left waiting on the streets, while nearby shops and cafes were plunged in to darkness.
16.50
This is the most dramatic picture from the Holborn fire we've seen so far as more fire crews arrive at the scene.
Onlookers have reported struggling to breathe and "chaos" in the area as those evacuated waited on the street and traffic began to pile up.
Firefighters prepare their equipment as flames shoot up from the underground electrical fire in London's Holborn (Hannah McKay)
16.42
With the closure of Holborn Tube station, Transport for London said Underground tickets will be accepted on local buses to stations either side.
16.36
The London Fire Brigade have confirmed there are no reports of any injuries.
A spokesman said there are now around 70 firefighters at the scene - double the number that were there earlier this afternoon.
16.30
Holborn is the only Undergound station closed to ease the number of people around the scene of the fire.
It is expected to reopen shortly, according to the Met Police, but the impact is likely to cause disruption for commuters into the evening with Kingsway due to be closed "for some time".
16.20
It's almost four hours since the underground fire started in Holborn, but chiefs are still yet to identify the confirmed source of the blaze.
London Fire Brigade said this is because crews are still waiting for utility companies to turn off the power.
16.12
We're now hearing that the cause of the fire is thought to be a faulty electrical box.
Among the buildings evacuated due to a power cut caused by the fire are several owned by the London School of Economics (LSE).
Fire crews cordon off Kingsway as smoke fills the street (LNP)
16.10
Some people have been speculating on Twitter that the closure of Holborn station is because the fire is connected to the Underground.
But the London Fire Brigade said the closure was for the "purposes of traffic management" and pedestrians.
And it looks like the police are expecting to extend the 25-metre cordon soon.
16.06
The fire started shortly after 12.30pm, but crews have been unable to start tackling it "effectively" because they are waiting for the utility companies to turn off the power.
A spokesman for London Fire Brigade said: "We are still waiting for the utility companies and a steer on what we can do.
"The fire continues to still burn. There are a lot of electrical cables down there.
"But we cannot tackle it effectively until the power situation has been resolved."
16.00
We're starting to receive some pictures that give a much clearer idea of what fire crews are dealing with in Holborn.
Huge plumes of black smoke are billowing from manhole covers in Kingsway and spreading across a large area of central London.
Smoke pours out from a manhole cover in Kingsway (LNP)
Smoke fills Kingsway in London where a large area has been cordoned off (LNP)
15.50
After the Metropolitan Police declared a "major incident", officers have closed Holborn tube station as well as Kingsway in both directions.
That's not what commuters want to hear as they approach home time.
15.44
Videos have started to emerge of thick smoke billowing from the pavement in Holborn.
Office workers took to social media to post footage of the blaze, in a busy area of central London.
15.40
London Fire Brigade, which has 35 firefighters at the scene of the blaze, has been posting more images of the blaze on Twitter.
15.34
Police have declared a major incident and closed Kingsway at both ends and motorists are being advised to avoid the area.
Six fire engines are at the scene and waiting for utility companies to disconnect the power supply before tackling the blaze.
15.25
Two thousand people have been evacuated from buildings in central London around the scene of a fire under a pavement in Holborn.
London Fire Brigade said crews are dealing with an electrical blaze among cables under the pavement on Kingsway.
The alarm was raised after smoke was seen coming out of an inspection cover on the pavement.
A 25-metre safety cordon is in place and 2,000 people have been evacuated from several nearby buildings.