Large fire rips through south London railway arch

A large fire ripped through a railway arch beside Elephant and Castle station in south London on Monday.

It sent a ball of flame and plumes of black smoke billowing up high into the sky above the city.

Police said the incident was not terror related. There were no immediate reports of anyone being injured.

The London Fire Brigade said 15 fire engines and 100 firefighters were pressed into action following the blaze which raced through three commercial units, causing trains to be diverted.

"Road closures are in place and people are advised to avoid the area and keep windows and doors closed," the fire brigade said.

Around 100 firefighters are currently tackling a fire near #ElephantandCastle Railway Station where the railway arches, six cars and a telephone box are alight. There are significant road closures in place, please avoid the area https://t.co/O1e3wT3jDB https://t.co/v9yNG9k5il

— London Fire Brigade (@LondonFire) June 28, 2021

There are now 15 fire engines and around 100 firefighters tackling the fire in #ElephantandCastle. Our 999 Control Officers have taken 44 calls to the blaze pic.twitter.com/AwZBnv2T6M

— London Fire Brigade (@LondonFire) June 28, 2021

The blaze, which was first reported at 1:43 pm local time was brought under control more than two hours later.

The fire in #elephantandcastle is now under control. Firefighters will remain at the scene for the next few hours to dampen down the scene. Road closures are still in place in the area. pic.twitter.com/jAJge09Obg

— London Fire Brigade (@LondonFire) June 28, 2021

We can confirm we treated six people at the scene in #ElephantandCastle and took one of them to hospital.

Thank you to #TeamLAS and our @LondonFire and @metpoliceuk colleagues for their brilliant work caring for Londoners in need this afternoon. https://t.co/3dBkTXOLo4

— London Ambulance Service (@Ldn_Ambulance) June 28, 2021