People were forced to leave Westfield Stratford City shopping centre following a fire outbreak in a multi-storey car park in east London. Videos shared online depicted thick black smoke billowing from the car park where multiple vehicles were engulfed in flames on Saturday afternoon. A spokesperson from the London Fire Brigade (LFB) mentioned that the fire generated a substantial amount of smoke with several vehicles ablaze on an upper level of car park C.
The LFB advised individuals to steer clear of the area and confirmed the evacuation of the shopping centre as a precautionary measure. The fire brigade was alerted at 4:05 pm, prompting the London Ambulance Service (LAS) to respond swiftly to the incident location on Montfichet Road in Stratford.
A total of ten fire engines and approximately 70 firefighters, including teams from Stratford, Poplar, Leytonstone, and nearby fire stations, were dispatched to the scene. Firefighters utilized a 32-meter turntable ladder to combat the blaze, which was successfully brought under control by 5:54 pm. An official statement from the LFB stated that they were attending a vehicle fire in the car park at Westfield Shopping Centre in Stratford, emphasizing the need for people to avoid the area due to the heavy smoke.
An LAS representative mentioned that resources, including ambulance crews and hazardous area response team members, were deployed to the site. Two individuals were treated for injuries but were discharged on-site.
During the incident, a witness reported a full evacuation of Westfield Stratford due to the fire, expressing surprise at the apparent lack of preparedness among staff for such a large-scale evacuation. Another observer noted the alarm going off in a specific area of the shopping centre, with people seemingly unfazed by the situation despite the fire safety announcements and visible smoke in the vicinity.
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