Huge fireball seen erupting over London causes travel chaos at Heathrow

A huge fireball was seen towering over west London after an explosion at a recycling centre.

Eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters spent three hours tackling the blaze on Johnson Street, Southall, London Fire Brigade said.

Footage on social media shows a huge fireball leaping into the sky at around 5.30pm behind a row of houses on Sunday.

Smoke was seen for miles around after the blaze closing the Heathrow Express and the Great Western Main Line as a precaution and causing havoc for passengers.

The cause of the fire is not yet known.

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National Rail said major disruption between London Paddington and Heathrow Terminals and Reading is expected.

A London Fire Brigade spokesman said: ‘Due to smoke travel from the fire, the nearby Great Western Main Line has been partially closed as a precaution whilst crews remain on scene. 

‘The Brigade was first called about the incident at 17.33pm. Control officers have mobilised crews from Southall, Hayes, Feltham and surrounding fire stations to the scene.

‘Firefighters had the fire under control by 8.35pm.’

A spokesperson for Heathrow Express added: ‘Due to a significant incident outside of our control, there are currently no Heathrow Express services running to the airport.’

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