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Nov 11, 2007 10:00 am US/Eastern
Blaze Erupts At London 2012 Olympics Site
LONDON (CBS News) ―
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Thick smoke rises over the London skyline Nov. 12, 2007.
Cate Gillon/Getty Images
A fire at an east London warehouse on the 2012 Olympics site sent a towering column of black smoke over the British capital Monday, authorities said.
The blaze broke out shortly after noon in an industrial area in Stratford, authorities said. The fire is within the construction site for the 2012 Summer Olympics, the British Broadcasting Corp. reported.
CBS News has learned that the London ambulance service reported no casualties from the large fire blazing in the east end of the capital.
There were no reports of injuries.
The one-story warehouse was waiting for demolition, to make room for new Olympic facilities. It is on a site that is fenced off from the public.
"We heard this small bang and came rushing out," said Danny Cherry, 30, a print worker. "What we could see was just so much smoke."
About 40 firefighters were fighting the blaze, reports CBS News.
"I think it's actually an old clothes factory," Cherry said. "It's an old building that they were going to knock down anyway."
Extensive redevelopment is taking place in the area, about 5.5 miles east of central London.
Police said there was nothing to suggest a suspicious cause.
"We only know it's a fire," a Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said. "There's nothing to suggest anything else at the moment."
One railway line was closed because of smoke, Network Rail said. Transport for London, the agency that operates bus and subway services, said there were three bus garages in the area but none was involved in the fire.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
