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Lorry fire closes central London street Fire near Fortnum and Mason closes London street
(about 4 hours later)
A street in central London was closed for several hours on Wednesday night after a lorry caught fire near Fortnum and Mason department store. A street in central London closed for several hours after a manhole explosion set a lorry on fire near Fortnum and Mason department store.
The Metropolitan Police said officers were alerted to the incident in the Piccadilly area at 22:55 BST. About 20 firefighters tackled the blaze on Piccadilly, which started at 22:55 BST on Wednesday.
A spokesman said nobody had been arrested or injured as a result of the fire. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said nearby buildings were evacuated but there were no injuries or arrests.
The A4 Piccadilly was closed while emergency services dealt with the incident. The road was closed while emergency services dealt with the incident but it re-opened at about 04:00 BST.
London Fire Brigade said it appeared the fire had started under the pavement, near a manhole inspection cover, before spreading to the vehicle. Electrical contractors had been at the scene, it added. London Fire Brigade (LFB) spokesman said it attends approximately one fire a week involving a manhole cover.
Transport for London said the road reopened on Thursday morning. "A manhole cover had exploded and spread to a nearby parked van," he said.
"Crews managed to tow the vehicle away from the area using a long line which prevented further damage to the vehicle.
"Nearby buildings were evacuated as a precaution but there were no injuries."
'Burst into flames'
A spokesman for UK Power Networks said it is carrying out an investigation into "a fire from a cable pit".
In February, 50 people were evacuated from Caledonian Road, Islington, north London after a pavement burst into flames.
In April last year, a pavement exploded on Pimlico Road, in central London, narrowly missing a passer-by standing just yards away.
In 2012, a woman was injured in Shepherd's Bush, west London, when an explosion in a manhole knocked her off her bicycle.
Last year, figures obtained by BBC London showed reported incidents of underground explosions in the capital more than tripled between 2011 and 2012.