London police station goes up in flames with 20 fire engines sent to scene

A police station in east London has gone up in flames, with nearby residents urged to close their windows due to the amount of thick black smoke.

The roof of the Met Police station on Romford Road in Forest Gate, near Stratford, caught on fire earlier this afternoon with London Fire Brigade (LFB) being called at 4.17pm.

Road closures are in place as 20 fire engines and around 125 firefighters tackle the blaze.

LFB said the cause of the fire was not yet known.

A statement on the brigade’s website said: ‘Part of a police station including its mansard roof is alight.

‘The fire is producing large amounts of smoke and people in the local area are advised to keep their windows and doors closed.

‘Road closures are in place and people are advised to avoid the area while the incident is ongoing.’

It continued: ‘Three of the Brigade’s 32-metre turntable ladders and one of the Brigade’s 64-metre turntable ladders are at the scene.

‘The Brigade was called at 1617. Firefighters from Stratford, Leytonstone, Plaistow and surrounding fire stations are attending the scene.

‘The cause of the fire is not yet known.

This is a developing news story, more to follow soon… Check back shortly for further updates.

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