• Most Popular
  • Most Shared

Firemen bring London blaze under control

LONDON
Mon Nov 12, 2007 3:56pm EST

Related Video

LONDON (Reuters) - A large blaze destroyed an empty warehouse near the site of the London 2012 Olympics on Monday before more than 70 fire fighters brought it under control, the London fire brigade said.

World

No one was hurt but the fire produced a thick, dark cloud of smoke that filled the sky over east London.

It was not immediately clear what caused the blaze but police ruled out terrorist activity.

"Not at all," said a police spokesman. "It's a fire -- a very large fire."

Fifteen fire engines and 75 firemen battled for nearly four hours to bring the flames under control.

Witnesses said the fire broke out as the warehouse was being demolished as part of preparations for the 2012 Olympics. It sent flames 40 to 50 feet into the air and a towering column of smoke could be seen for miles.

Printer Paul Izzet, 43, works nearby and was 50 yards from the site when the blaze started.

"After 10 minutes, it was like having your face six inches from a coal fire, it was that hot," he told Reuters. "It was really beginning to warm up."

In July 2005, suicide bombers killed 52 people on London's transport system and there have been several attempted attacks since then, keeping Londoners' nerves on edge.

(Writing by Kate Kelland, editing by Michael Winfrey)



More from Reuters

Photo

Accused 9/11 plotters may face NY "Guantanamo"

NEW YORK (Reuters) - If the men accused of plotting the September 11 attacks wonder what conditions they might face when they are moved to New York from Guantanamo Bay for trial, they can expect solitary confinement, 23-hour-a-day lockdowns, constant video surveillance and almost no visitors.

 A broker waits for a phone call as he trades on the dealing floor at ICAP in Jersey City, New Jersey December 9, 2009. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

Easy come, easy go

After a run of easy money this year, fund managers cast a wary eye on investment prospects in 2010.  Full Article 

"I don't think this is the bottom. We're going to have more problems in the world economy. We're papering over the problems more than anything else."

Well-known investorJim Rogers,
on the sinking greenback and the fundamental problems with the U.S. economy