100 firefighters tackle garden centre fire near Heathrow Airport
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Around 100 firefighters tackled a fire at Ansell Garden Centre on Holloway Lane in West Drayton last evening (Sunday). Thick smoke was seen billowing into the sky by members of the public, and emergency services received numerous calls.
Most of the two storey garden centre was alight and crews put a 300 metre safety cordon around the incident. Around 20 people left the centre before the Brigade arrived and there were no reports of any injuries.
Station Manager Sanjay Prasad who was at the scene said;
“Firefighters worked very hard in difficult conditions to bring this incident under control. A number of cylinders were in the garden centre which is why a 300 metre hazard zone was set up as cylinders can explode when exposed to heat.
"Quick thinking firefighters were able to drag the majority of the cylinders away from the fire which prevented a possible explosion. Then firefighters used covering jets to cool the remaining cylinders down.
"Fireworks were also being stored at the garden centre but again, firefighters hosed the storage area down to ensure they did not can catch alight.
“Most of the garden centre building has been damaged by the fire but crews were able to contain it and prevent any further spread. Thankfully nobody has been injured in this fire.”
Fifteen fire engines and two aerial ladder platforms from stations including Heathrow, Hayes, Hillingdon, Feltham and Southall fire stations were at the scene.
Brigade Control officers received around 20 calls about the fire which was very visible and could be seen from a number of miles away.
The Brigade was called at 1633 and the fire was under control at 2131 but crews are expected to be damping down at the scene throughout the night.
A spokesman for Heathrow Airport said flights had not been affected by the smoke, which was visible from several miles away.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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