UPDATE: Parts of Kingsway remain closed this morning, as firefighters continue to damp down the cable tunnel fire which started yesterday. Holborn tube station is open again.
The fire meant West End shows such as The Lion King, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Play That Goes Wrong were cancelled, as a widespread power cut, and smoke forced theatres to shut for the night.
London Fire Brigade Assistant Commissioner Peter Cowup said: "This has been a technically difficult incident to tackle. The reason that the fire is still burning is because the service tunnel is hard to reach and although firefighters have been applying water through access points throughout the night, the complexity of the tunnel layout means that it will be some time until the fire is fully extinguished."
Another shot of the Holborn Fire, it’s literally coming up out of the drains #Kingsway pic.twitter.com/DSVBP1BS7M
— Iain B (@IBwan) April 1, 2015
Around 2,000 people have been evacuated from offices around Holborn after a fire broke out under Kingsway, causing the closure of Holborn tube station.
Smoke has been billowing out of the Civil Aviation Authority building and from drains nearby with 70 fire fighters now on the scene — which has been cordoned off.
The fire is thought to have been caused by a faulty electrical junction box. Nearby buildings, including the London School of Economics, have been evacuated. The tube station is unaffected but has been closed to help with managing the traffic. Power to the area has been cut off.
