The cause of the fire between London Bridge and Waterloo East stations has been identified as a pedicab.
Ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters tackled a fire at a commercial property under railway arches on Union Street in Southwark, which crews described as “completely alight.” Smoke could reportedly be seen for miles around.
A railway arch in Southwark used as a garage, and another nearby unit storing vehicles, including electric scooters and bikes, were both destroyed by the blaze, which affected train services running in and out of London Bridge station.
A passenger on Twitter said: "Coming out of London Bridge and a fire spread onto the tracks. The smoke is now coming up the train and we have to be evacuated."
The cause of the fire has been identified as a ‘pedicab’, a type of battery-powered rickshaw, consisting of two passenger seats behind a rider’s seat, with battery power-assisted pedalling. The vehicle was parked in a storage facility under the arches where it is thought the battery overheated, causing the blaze.
Batteries used by e-bikes and similar transport have become a major fire risk, as they do not comply with British safety standards. There have been a number of recent fires caused in similar circumstances, which has resulted in them being banned from taken on the London Underground. At present, neither Transport for London nor local councils have the ability to license or regulate the growing presence of pedicabs, and as a result, the government has vowed to license pedicabs in its upcoming transport bill.
Station Commander Wayne Johnson, who was at the scene of the fire, said: "The blaze was producing heavy smoke and those living or working in the local area were advised to keep their windows and doors closed. Trains to and from London Bridge are affected and several buildings were evacuated."
Fire crews from Dowgate, Whitechapel, Shoreditch, and Shadwell attended the scene, which took two hours to bring under control. There were no reports of any injuries as a result of the fire.
Photo credit: Charlie Pittock