Stratford station fire disrupts London rail services

The Stratford station fire brought eight fire engines and approximately 60 firefighters to the scene, with several seats of fire affecting trees, shrubbery, grass and some railway infrastructure near the tracks.

Response to the Stratford station fire

London Fire Brigade ⁠received the first of about 40 calls at 1854. Crews were deployed from Plaistow, Poplar, Ilford, Bethnal Green and surrounding fire stations.

Power to the railway tracks was isolated while firefighters dealt with the incident. Stratford station was safely evacuated and remained closed during the height of the response.

Firefighters also assisted British Transport Police and other agencies in safely removing at least 1,400 passengers from several trains stopped near Stratford station.

The fire was brought under control by 2200 hrs on 10 July. Crews remained at the scene overnight to dampen hotspots and monitor for possible flare-ups before leaving at 0700 hrs on 11 July.

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Station Commander Scott Thorpe, who attended the incident, described the conditions faced by crews:

“This fire was predominantly located within an area of grass and shrubbery that was surrounded on all sides by railway tracks. Crews also worked to extinguish other pockets of fire in around the station’s sidings.”

“The power to the railway tracks was isolated and the Brigade liaised closely with its multi-agency partners in order to resolve this incident safely.”

“Firefighters worked hard to bring this fire under control as swiftly as possible; and we retained a presence through the night to ensure all areas had been fully extinguished.”

Rail services remain disrupted

The incident continued to cause ⁠major disruption to rail services on 11 July. National Rail was providing updates and travel advice to passengers on its website, while Transport for London services were also disrupted.

What is known about rail services?

National Rail said reduced services to, from and through Stratford were expected until 06:00 on Monday 13 July while engineers repaired railway signalling and telecommunications equipment damaged by the fire. Elizabeth line, Greater Anglia and London Overground services were affected. Elizabeth line trains could run through Stratford, but cancellations, alterations and delays continued, while Greater Anglia reported severe disruption on routes serving the station. TfL separately reported minor delays on the Elizabeth line between Whitechapel and Shenfield. Passengers were advised to check their journey before travelling.

The cause of the fire remained unknown.