Hatch End fire: London Euston trains suspended due to blaze along railway tracks

A fire has broken out along the railway tracks at Hatch End station in northwest London.

Firefighters and Network Rail engineers are at the scene near Pinner, in Harrow, battling the blaze.

While a fallen tree is also affecting power lines along the route to London Euston.

It comes as the UK sees record-breaking temperatures of above 40C as the UK blisters in a punishing heatwave.

The capital’s fire service has declared a major incident, as firefighters rush to extinguish blazes in Croydon, Havering and Dartford this afternoon (Tuesday, July 19).

A London Euston spokesperson said: “We are currently not able to run trains between Harrow and Wealdstone and Watford Junction.

“This is due to a fallen tree and our engineering teams are on their way. Advice is still not to travel from London.”

They added: “There is a fire on this site and we have had to shut off the power so the fire service can put it out.

“Our engineers will then assess the damage to the power lines.

“Expect reduced services to be cancelled or delayed until we can fix the problem.

“Engineers and the fire service are on site in Hatch End to put out the fire and start work on repairing the overhead lines.”

Avanti West Coast - which operates trains from Euston to Manchester and the North West - has cancelled all trains for the res of the day.

Matthew Goodwin-Freeman, councillor for Hatch End, told LondonWorld he was at the scene and had spoken to the incident commander.

Eight fire engines attended the blaze which was under control in an hour.

“Crews will remain on scene to deal with any hotspots,” he said.

“A tree has fallen on the rail lines and caused damage to overhead power lines.

“They have reinstated one of the three sets of tracks for safety and repairs will be made overnight. [There was] no damage to houses or gardens.”

He also posted on Twitter: “Fire near Hatch End Station/The Avenue.

“Please stay safe and avoid the area due to a fire along the tracks and houses in this heatwave.”