Dozens of firefighters from London Fire Brigade have swarmed North Hyde Electricity Substation on Nestles Avenue in Hayes, west London, after a blaze, which has sent smoke billowing into the sky
People have tonight been evacuated from their homes – and thousands of others have lost power – after an electricity substation caught fire.
Pictures and videos online show flames roar from North Hyde Electricity Substation on Nestles Avenue in Hayes, west London, just off the M4. London Fire Brigade (LFB) has more than 70 crew at the scene, which has been cordoned off.
It said in a statement: “Ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters are tackling a fire at an electrical substation on Nestles Avenue in Hayes. Part of the substation is alight. Around 20 people have been evacuated from neighbouring properties and a 100-metre cordon has been put in place as a precaution.
“The Brigade’s Control Officers have taken more than 190 calls to the fire. The first call was received at 11.23pm and crews from Hayes, Heathrow, Hillingdon, Southall and surrounding fire stations were mobilised to the scene. The cause of the fire is not known at this time.”
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Around 200 calls were made to LFB about the fire since it started at approximately 11.15pm on Thursday. The cause of the blaze will continue to be investigated.
The site is near London Heathrow Airport, though it is not thought flights to and from the hub have been affected by the blaze at this stage. Nevertheless, videos online show the fierce fire take hold of the substation, which is a National Grid facility.
It is understood residents across west London have experienced a power cut tonight as a result of the incident. One tweet reads: “HUGE fire on Nestle Avenue, Hayes the power grid is on fire over 17,000 homes.” Another tweet says: “No power in west #London #Hayes and massive fire in distance. Mental!” A video [roducer in the area posted on X: “Big fire in #Hayes #WestLondon as seen from my window. Electrical substation apparently. Hope everyone is safe @Hillingdon.”
Scottish and Southern Electricity tweeted: “We’re aware of a widespread power cut affecting many of our customers around the Hayes, Hounslow and surrounding areas. We’re estimating for power to be restored by 3am.” The Mirror has contacted the National Grid for comment tonight.
Work to upgrade North Hyde Electricity Substation and nearby Fox West Substation concluded in early 2021, and saw new transformers, circuits and cables installed. The multi-million-pound project was designed to boost the capacity and resilience of the power supply to both a logistical park in the area, and surrounding homes and businesses across west London.
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