200 evacuated in blast fear

Up to 200 people were evacuated from their homes today when a huge blaze ripped through a Cricklewood industrial estate.

It took dozens of firefighters several hours to control the fire, which destroyed several warehouses in the complex adjoining the Staples Business Park.

A London Fire Brigade spokeswoman said: "There are still pockets which have not yet been extinguished. At least one of the warehouses was used to store paint and gas cylinders, so we need to be extremely careful. It appears the fire started in one of the warehouses.

"For the time being we have to let the cylinders cool down before we can let local residents back into their homes because there is still a possibility that they may explode." Fire crews will use thermal imaging equipment to assess the situation. No one was injured and those evacuated from the area were taken to nearby John Kelly school.

Roads around the warehouses were closed, but the A5 and the A406 were not affected.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "It is not being investigated as a suspicious fire at the moment."

Dozens of families on a Brixton housing estate have been without electricity for more than two days after this week's storms damaged power supplies. About 26 households lost power on Tuesday evening. One resident, chauffeur Geoff Edwards, 46, said: "It's been way over 48 hours which is just not on."