15 Feb 2014

Firefighters battle blaze at National Archives

Around 20 firefighters have tackled a blaze at site of the National Archives in Kew, south west London.

London Fire Brigade has confirmed that two disused water towers which were in the process of being decommissioned caught fire in Kew around 12.30pm.

Both towers were reported to be “100 per cent alight”, a fire service spokeswoman said earlier.

A Scotland Yard spokesman confirmed: “No-one is trapped or injured.”

Police were called to the scene at 12.37pm and have provided assistance.

On its Twitter page, London Fire Brigade said: “The fire in Kew is under control – crews are now tackling remaining hot spots and small pockets of fire. No injuries have been reported.”

National Archives UK tweeted: “Thank you for all your concerned tweets. We will update as soon as we can.”

The National Archives is the Government’s official archive of original documents and records, dating back more than 1,000 years.

National Archives UK tweeted later: “We can confirm the fire has been put out, but we will stay closed to the public in order to recover the building.”