Chiswick Explosion Narrowly Avoided

Gas canisters on site of Kingscote Road blaze

A serious explosion in a residential area of Chiswick was narrowly avoided today at around 2pm after a blaze on Kingscote Road near the junction with St. Albans Avenue.

A house which was undergoing substantial renovation caught fire and the blaze was in danger of igniting several gas canisters which were at the scene - see picture below.

Eye-witnesses report that a man went up a ladder towards the blaze to push away a canister that was spewing out gas and increasing the intensity of the fire. The removal of the damaged canister seem to calm the fire.

Construction workers at the scene said that if the canisters had exploded they could have caused serious damage to houses in the area and possibly injury to local residents.

Shortly afterwards two fire crew arrived to douse the remaining canisters and put out the rest of the fire.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

November 22, 2007