Holborn Fire: Underground fire in London extinguished after blazing for two days

The fire which started on Wednesday and caused a mass evacuation of parts of Holborn in central London has now finally been extinguished.

The fire began in electrical cables in a tunnel below street level. Flames were visible shooting up through the street and thick smoke engulfed the vicinity.

More than 2,000 people were evacuated and two major streets, Kingsway and Southampton Row, were sealed off.

A leaking gas main under Kingsway was a major hazard in tackling the fire. However, during the night National Grid were able to stop the flow of gas.

Firefighters from the London Fire Brigade were on site while gas workers isolated the 8-inch gas supply pipe. Meanwhile, the firefighters continued to pump water through access points to the tunnel to control the spread of the fire.

Once the gas pipe was sealed off, the firefighters were able to extinguish the fire. Large number of firefighters were still in the vicinity this morning.

London Fire Brigade Assistant Commissioner Dany Cotton said: "Firefighting in tunnels is very hazardous" and said there was a risk of a gas explosion unless the gas supply was shut down.

UK Power Networks reports that it has now restored power to the majority of customers in the area.

The company reports: "The remaining 400 customers are being restored in stages, as our work continues round the clock. We are working with the emergency services and other agencies to keep affected customers updated."

The cause of the fire remains unknown.

UK Power Networks says that until access to the tunnel is safe the cause of the fire is "impossible to determine". Camden Councillor Jonathan Simpson paid tribute to "the tireless work" of London Fire Brigade and the

Camden Councillor Jonathan Simpson paid tribute to "the tireless work" of London Fire Brigade and the Metropolitan Police in dealing with the fire and its effects.