A major fire broke out at a supermarket beneath a block of flats in Golders Green, north-west London, prompting a large emergency response from the London Fire Brigade (LFB).
Around 100 firefighters and 15 fire engines were deployed to the scene on Golders Green Road after the brigade received its first emergency call shortly after 6:45am on Wednesday morning. Thick black smoke was seen billowing from behind the Jewish supermarket “Kosher Kingdom”, alarming residents and disrupting traffic across the area.
Police said the blaze is believed to have been caused by an electrical fault and is not being treated as suspicious.
Assistant Commissioner Craig Carter of the London Fire Brigade said firefighters were working intensively to bring the situation under control and advised nearby residents to keep their windows and doors closed due to the heavy smoke.
The fire affected part of a three-storey building, including a storage area behind the supermarket. Emergency crews also evacuated nearby residents as a precaution, while a temporary rest centre was opened for those affected.
Several roads were closed, including parts of Golders Green Road near Beverley Gardens. Traffic was also heavily disrupted on the A406 North Circular between Brent Cross and Henlys Corner.
Local residents described dramatic scenes as smoke covered the neighbourhood. One resident said visibility became almost impossible due to the dense smoke, while another described the incident as “the biggest fire” they had ever witnessed in the area.
Kosher Kingdom, which describes itself as Europe’s largest kosher supermarket, had previously suffered a devastating fire before relaunching in 2009.
No injuries have been reported. Firefighters remained at the scene for several hours as investigations into the exact cause continued.
