Smoke billows from Oxford Street construction site after fire breaks out

Emergency call: a fire engine on Oxford Street
Twitter/@J_Crowson
Rachel Blundy19 September 2015

Smoke was seen billowing from a construction site close to London's Oxford Street today after a fire broke out inside.

The blaze sparked at Academy House on Poland Street which is under refurbishment in the popular shopping area just after 12.30pm.

Four fire crews were called to tackle the flames which broke out in the scaffolding on the building's second and third floors.

A spokeswoman for the London Fire Brigade said: "We are in attendance at the fire on Oxford Street. It is a four pump fire.

"The building is a retail unit that is under refurbishment."

In an update at 3pm, she said firefighters had brought the flames under control and were damping down at the scene, adding that the scaffolding suffered about 10 per cent damage.

Buses were put on diversion while firefighters worked at the scene, Transport for London tweeted.

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