Ten fire engines and 72 firefighters and officers were called to a fire in Watling Avenue in Edgware yesterday afternoon.
A single storey workshop at the back of a row of shops with flats above was gutted by the fire. A small part of a shop was also damaged by the blaze. Two fire engines and ten firefighters remain at the scene this morning (Friday, 21 June) cooling down gas cylinders.
One man was taken to hospital before the arrival of the Brigade. Around 500 people were evacuated from flats and shops in the surrounding area as a precaution.
The Brigade’s 999 Control Officers took more than 45 calls to the fire.
Station Manager Sean Madeley, who was at the scene, said: "The fire was in the workshop behind a shop and flats. Gas cylinders were involved in the incident. As a result, a hazard zone was set up as cylinders can explode when exposed to heat. Crews worked hard in arduous conditions to cool the cylinders and damp down pockets of fire."
The Brigade was called at 1537 and the fire was under control by 2049. Fire crews from Stanmore, West Hampstead, Finchley, Hendon, Wembley, Mill Hill and Tottenham fire stations were at the scene.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.