Nearby residents describe smoke surrounding station fire

Residents living near the Elephant and Castle station in London took to social media to share the images they captured of the massive fire that broke out this afternoon.

Mathew James Lister shared a video of the billowing clouds of smoke rising above buildings near the station.

Ulla Kamara told The Guardian that she was on her way to visit a friend, Junior Mayhew, near the station when she saw the explosion.

"I came round the corner and I could see what I thought was cloud but then I could see it was black fumes and realised it was fire," she said. "I called Junior and said, 'There's a fire outside your building', and then I witnessed an explosion. It was like a big fireball came out of the building and into the sky. I was just hoping there's nobody in there."

Mayhew said the smoke was coming past his balcony.

"When I was looking over the balcony, I couldn't see the street," he told The Guardian.

He said there were people banging on doors ordering people in his building to evacuate. Many people were panicking, he said, and he assisted a woman in the building who was begging not to be left behind as he went down the stairs.

Train delays expected around London

The National Rail told travelers to avoid Elephant and Castle because trains are unable to run through the station for at least the rest of the day.

"DO NOT travel to Elephant and Castle. Trains are unable to run through or to the station for the rest of the day and may impacted services tomorrow morning so please check before you travel as we will keep journey planners updated," a travel alert said.

"As a result of this, trains between London Blackfriars and Denmark Hill / Herne Hill may be cancelled or delayed."

The National Rail said the fire is impacting Loughborough Junction, Herne Hill, Tulse Hill.

London Buses in the area are also being diverted and could be delayed by at least one hour.

Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps tweeted that the fire originated under the Elephant and Castle station.

"Trains are being diverted via London Bridge and the Tube is running through Elephant and Castle," he said.

Flames at Elephant and Castle Station were "significant"

London Fire Brigade station Commissioner James Ryan said the flames at the scene in Elephant and Castle were "significant."

"Going to 15 pump fires isn't uncommon for us but this was a high-profile incident in the fact that it was in a very visible location and the size of the flames coming out and the smoke were quite significant. It did attract more attention than the other fires we go to," Ryan said.

A reporter from Leading Britain's Conversation shared a video of the aftermath of the fire.

The fire is under control, officials say

The London Fire Brigade announced that the Elephant and Castle Station Fire is "now under control" at around 4:30 London time, nearly four hours after the fire broke out.

Firefighters will remain at the scene for the next few hours and roads in the area are still closed.

"Just before 1.45pm this afternoon we received the first of 44 calls to a fire in a railway arch underneath Elephant and Castle Railway station," London Fire Brigade Station Commander James Ryan said.

"There was a significant fire in a car garage in the railway arches, which also involved several cars outside the railway arches and a telephone box."

The Northern Line is not stopping at Elephant and Castle station, Transport For London (TFL) said.

A TFL spokesman told CityA.M. that the fire occurred close to the station on Monday afternoon, and that the entrance to the Northern Line cannot be accessed.

Six people treated for injuries, two people treated for smoke inhalation

Six people were treated for injuries at the scene of the Elephant and Castle fire, the London Ambulance Service confirmed on Twitter. One person was taken to the hospital.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan shared his thoughts with "all those affected by the very serious fire."

Khan said on Twitter that he is in contact with the Fire Commissioner and thanked the emergency service officers who safely evacuated residents and passengers.

He added that two people have been treated for smoke inhalation and echoed fire officials' warning for those who live nearby to close their windows and doors and for others to avoid the area.