During the last hour or so, there has been some worrying news for commercial property owners in London, with reports of a large scale fire in the Aldywch area.
The fire is thought to have originated in the roof of a block of flats and a 10-storey hotel, which is currently undergoing refurbishment.
The BBC are reporting that there are six fire engines and around seventy five firefighters, attempting to suppress the blaze.
A London Ambulance spokesman said: ‘We were called at 11.32am today (14 June) to reports of a fire on Strand, WC2…We dispatched an ambulance crew, a single responder in a car, a duty manager and five hazardous area response team units…Our staff are currently standing by on the scene. There are no reports of any patients.’
The fire has caused a degree of panic in London, with smoke from the flames visible for miles around.
The A4 in Aldwych was closed due to the fire and southbound traffic on Kingsway, from High Holborn was blocked. These road closures have had an effect on the surrounding roads in the area, with large scale congestion reported going northbound on Waterloo Bridge. The strand has also been closed to traffic.
The fear for commercial property owners is the possibility that the fire could spread across adjoining areas such as the Strand, which is located just a stone’s throw away.
The Strand is home to some of London’s most valuable commercial property. A vast number of globally recognisable companies have retail space on the Strand, with banks and finance institutions such as Coutts & Co and HSBC, holding office space on the world famous, ¾ mile long street.
One thing is for sure, commercial property owners, tenants and insurance companies alike, will be holding their breath in the hope that the authorities can tackle the blaze and prevent any damage to surrounding commercial property.
