Roads are closed and a cordon has been put in place (Picture: London Fire Brigade)
Emergency services are responding to a major fire in a tunnel in central London.
Ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters have been deployed by the London Fire Brigade to an underground utilities tunnel on Theobalds Road in Holborn. The cause of the fire is not yet known.
Roads are closed and a cordon has been put in place.
Bus routes are being diverted and people have been told to avoid the area.
The brigade’s 999 control officers have taken 18 calls to the fire and sent crews from Soho, Euston, Shoreditch, Islington, Lambeth and surrounding fire stations to the scene.
More than 70 firefighters are at the scene (Picture: @lukerramsden)
Station commander Paul Morgan, who is currently at the scene, said: ‘Crews are currently dealing with a fire affecting the electrical cables in an underground tunnel. This is likely to be a protracted incident.
‘The incident is causing significant disruption in central London, with multiple road closures and a safety cordon in place.
‘Bus routes have been diverted and Londoners are advised to avoid the area where possible.’
Six fire engines and around 40 firefighters have been called to a fire on Theobalds Road in #Holborn. More info to follow pic.twitter.com/KwLSFQtcHV
— London Fire Brigade (@LondonFire) November 26, 2025
Serious Fire going on in Holborn right now pic.twitter.com/YlGsR468L1
— Mark (@ToffeeMark1) November 26, 2025
Crews were dispatched shortly after 10am on Wednesday following reports of a blaze close to the entrance of Holborn Underground station.
One person on X (formerly Twitter) said: ‘Fire in Holborn, London coming from underneath.’
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Another said there was a ‘serious fire going on in Holborn right now’.
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One Reddit user commented on a post about the fire: ‘Can confirm, power just tripped about eight times in a row at my office in Holborn.’
In 2015 an electrical fire under the pavement at Holborn led to around 5,000 people being evacuated from nearby buildings as well as the cancellation of West End shows.
Firefighters responded to the blaze after smoke was seen coming out of an inspection cover, sparking chaos.
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