70 firefighters battle garage blaze in Southall which can be seen 14 miles away in Windsor

5 April 2022, 12:50 | Updated: 5 April 2022, 14:21

Ten fire engines and 80 firefighters tackle blaze on Tachbrook Road in Southall

Ten fire engines and 70 firefighters battled a garage blaze in Southall which sent massive plumes of smoke into the skies above west London.

Eyewitness reported seeing the smoke from 14 miles away in Windsor, Heathrow Airport and Kew Gardens.

The London fire service said most of a commercial garage, an adjoining storage area, several cars and a container of oil were on fire.

People were being advised to avoid the area and residents were being told to keep their doors and windows shut because of the heavy smoke.

Around 30 local residents were evacuated.

At 2.07pm firefighters confirmed the fire was under control, but said they would remain at the scene damping down.

They added there were no reports of any injuries.

"There are now 10 fire engines at the scene of the fire in #Southall," said the Brigade in an earlier tweet.

"The fire is producing heavy smoke - residents in the area should close their windows and doors."

It added that three cylinders were removed from the building before the Brigade arrived, and firefighters were cooling them to an ambient temperature as some cylinders can explode when exposed to heat.

A 25-metre cordon was in place as a precaution.

More than 40 calls were taken about the fire.

Station Commander Graeme Hunter, who was at the scene, said: "The fire is producing heavy smoke, which is visible for miles.

"We are urging residents in the area to close their windows and doors.

"There is some disruption to traffic, so we encourage people to avoid the area whilst crews continue to work to make the scene safe."

The Brigade was called at 1145.

Fire crews from Southall, Hayes, Feltham, Heathrow and surrounding fire stations were at the scene.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.