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Silvertown tunnel fire: investigation underway

Silvertown tunnel fire
The first tunnel boring machine parts being lowered into the launch chamber at the Silvertown tunnel (Image: TfL)

The London Fire Brigade has started an investigation into the cause of a fire at a Silvertown tunnel construction site in London.

Six fire engines and around 40 firefighters attended the fire at a site on North Woolwich Road in Silvertown.

The fire damaged half a conveyor belt at the site. Around 25 people left the site before the brigade arrived. There were no reports of any injuries.

Station commander Daniel Capon, who was at the scene, said: “Access to the fire was challenging, with firefighters working to reach a sub-surface conveyor belt.

“Crews worked incredibly hard to bring the fire under control.”

Crews arrived just after 10pm on Tuesday night (27 September) and the fire was under control just after midnight.

The Riverlinx consortium won a deal with Transport for London (TfL) in 2019 to design, build, finance and maintain the Silvertown tunnel.

Tunnel boring for the 1.4km-long tunnel began earlier this month. It will cross the river Thames, connecting Newham and the Greenwich Peninsula.

TfL has been contacted for comment.

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