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Golders Green blaze caused by electrical fault

Harry Low & Gem O'ReillyLondon
Social media footage shows plumes of smoke in Golders Green

A blaze tackled by 100 firefighters at a supermarket below a block of flats in north-west London was due to an electrical fault, police have said.

London Fire Brigade (LFB) received the first of 56 calls just after 06:45 BST to a three-storey building on Golders Green Road, in Golders Green, which it said "was producing a significant amount of smoke".

Footage on social media appeared to show smoke billowing from behind Jewish supermarket Kosher Kingdom, where locals said the fire started. There were no injuries.

The cause of the fire is not believed to be suspicious, said assistant commissioner of the LFB Craig Carter.

News imagePA Media Smoke billows from behind houses PA Media
The cause of the fire is thought to be electrical

Stevie, who lives opposite the site of the fire, told BBC London she could smell "really, really intense smoke".

She said: "I couldn't see anything - it was just pure smoke. It's really sad."

Cameron said the view from their window was "like looking at a sheet of paper".

He added: "I genuinely thought I couldn't see anything at all. We shut the window and the smoke dissipated.

"We looked across the road and it was just billowing out of the top of the building. I've never seen anything to that scale."

News imageLFB Red fire engine with yellow ladder and black plumes of smokeLFB
Firefighters used a 32m turntable ladder

The Kosher Kingdom describes itself on its website as the "largest kosher supermarket in Europe today" and says the business relaunched in 2009 following a "devastating fire" .

Fifteen fire engines from Willesden, Finchley and West Hampstead tackled the blaze. A nearby rest centre was set up for those affected.

The fire affected a shop and storage area, destroying the ground floor and part of the first floor. A small part of the second floor was also damaged by the fire, LFB said.

A number of road closures were in place, including on Golders Green Road near the junction with Beverley Gardens. Traffic was also disrupted on the A406 North Circular in both directions between Brent Cross and Henlys Corner.

News imagePA Media Firefighters at the scene with engines and hoses across street by parked carsPA Media
LFB received 56 calls on Wednesday morning

Police assisted the brigade with evacuations.

A Met Police spokesperson said: "We understand the concern and disruption this incident will have caused to the local community and those living and working in the area.

"We would like to reassure residents that there is no indication of any targeted or deliberate act."

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