Massive blaze at Westfield Stratford car park forces evacuation as thick smoke blankets area

Shoppers were evacuated from the Westfield Stratford shopping centre on Saturday afternoon as firefighters battled a large blaze in a multi-storey car park on Montfichet Road.

The London Fire Brigade said emergency services received the first of 35 calls about the incident at 16:05 and mobilised crews from Stratford, Poplar, Leytonstone and surrounding stations. Ten fire engines and about 70 firefighters attended, and a 32-metre turntable ladder was used to tackle flames on the upper level after a vehicle caught fire there. The brigade warned the fire was producing a significant amount of smoke and advised people to avoid the area.

Pictures and video shared on social media showed large black clouds of smoke billowing from the top of the car park and spreading into the sky as onlookers, including shoppers and arriving football fans, watched from nearby. The blaze began about an hour and a half before a Premier League match between West Ham and Tottenham at the London Stadium, an event that drew additional crowds into Stratford.

Firefighters focused on extinguishing the vehicle fire on the upper floor and preventing the blaze from spreading through the car park structure. Control officers continued to coordinate multiple crews at the scene while emergency services maintained a cordon and urged people to stay away.

The London Fire Brigade’s statement emphasised the quantity of smoke produced by the fire. Smoke from vehicle fires can contain fine particulate matter and toxic compounds that reduce local air quality and pose respiratory risks to nearby residents and passersby. In response to fires of this nature, authorities typically advise vulnerable people — including those with respiratory or cardiovascular conditions — to avoid exposure until concentrations fall.

Transport and local authorities temporarily rerouted pedestrians and motorists to allow emergency access; the brigade did not provide immediate information about injuries in initial updates. The cause of the vehicle fire remained under investigation, and the brigade said further updates would follow as crews worked to bring the incident under control.

This is a developing story; more information will be reported as emergency services release additional details.