Westbourne Park fire: Huge blaze rips through shop and flats in north London

Dozens of fire fighters battled a blaze as flames ripped through a shop and flats in north London.

Some 72 fire fighters and officers worked to tackle the blaze which broke out in the ground floor of a shop, in Harrow Road, Westbourne Park, around 8.45am on Friday.

Dramatic footage posted on social media showed huge clouds of thick grey smoke billow into the air above the busy shopping street.

Andrew Potter, whose flat overlooks the fire, described the neighbourhood as "blanketed in smoke".

He told the Standard: "We smelt smoke in our flat and went outside to find the building across the road completely enveloped in smoke.

"A number of fire crews are here and the cordon has been moved further back."

A spokesman for London Fire Brigade said parts of the shop and flats above where ablaze and urged residents to keep windows and doors closed.

Station Manager Sam Kazmanli, who was at the scene, said: "This is a severe fire in a shop with flats above.

"Firefighters are working hard to stop the fire spreading further to neighbouring buildings.

"There is a lot of smoke in the nearby roads and we'd ask people to avoid the area if possible and close doors and windows."

Harrow Road was sealed-off to traffic as fire crews worked to extinguish the fire.

No injuries have been reported.