Man rescues his parents after blaze fills home with smoke
FIRE HAD BROKEN OUT AT NEARBY GARAGE
A man rescued his elderly parents from their home as it filled with smoke after a car garage went up in flames in west London.
Firefighters rushed to the scene in Southall at around 11.45am on the morning of Tuesday April 5.
Around 30 people were evacuated from neighbouring properties in Tachbrook Road, as most of a singlestorey commercial garage and several cars were alight, as well as a container of oil.
The London Fire Brigade confirmed the day after that the fire was under control, but the emergency services remained at the scene to ‘damp down’ the area.
Resident Raj Dhanda, 41, of adjacent Leamington Road, said: “My elderly parents were inside when the smoke came and I rushed home to get them out – we’re not allowed back in the house at the moment as it’s full of smoke.”
A man who works at Shield Insurance Brokers next to the cordon added: “At around 11.30am, we just saw everyone outside start running and our upstairs neighbour came sprinting down, then we saw the smoke.
“It’s pretty scary and the street’s now like a ghost town.
“Everyone was cleared out of their homes near the fire.”
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: “Ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters tackled a fire at a garage in Tachbrook Road, Southall.
“Most of a single-storey commercial garage, an adjoining storage area and several cars were alight.
“A container of oil was also alight. Around 30 people were evacuated from neighbouring properties.
“There are currently no reports of any injuries.
“Three cylinders were removed from the building before the brigade arrived and firefighters cooled them to an ambient temperature as some cylinders can explode when exposed to heat.
“A 25-metre cordon was in place as a precaution.
“The brigade’s 999 control officers took more than 40 calls to the blaze.
“Firefighters remain on the scene this afternoon damping down.”
Station Commander Graeme Hunter, who was at the scene, said: “The fire produced heavy smoke, which was visible for miles.
“We urged residents in the area to close their windows and doors.
“There was some disruption to traffic, so we encouraged people to avoid the area whilst crews continue to work to make the scene safe.”
The brigade was called at 11.45am and the fire was under control by 1.50pm. Fire crews from Southall, Hayes, Feltham, Heathrow and surrounding fire stations attended the scene.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.