London Cab Bursts Into Flames On Blackfriars Bridge In Central London

Warnings of 'long delays'.
The black cab on Blackfriars Bridge just before midday
The black cab on Blackfriars Bridge just before midday
Peter Speller

A black cab has caught fire on a the middle of a central London bridge, causing long delays as firefighters tackled and the blaze and shut the crossing.

Passerby Pete Speller described “huge flames the small bang as something exploded”.

He filmed the arrival of City of London Police and London Fire Brigade to tackle the blaze just before midday.

Burning taxi on Blackfriars bridge. pic.twitter.com/J3w4roSD5r

— pete speller (@peterspeller) July 18, 2016

Transport for London tweeted a CCTV image of the cab on fire and warned that the there would be “long delays” as the bridge was closed in both directions.

Buses on routes 45, 63 and 100 were being diverted.

The flames were apparently visible to viewers of ITV’s This Morning, filmed in studios nearby.

Blackfriars Bridge - traffic is being held in both directions due to a taxi on fire. Expect long delays pic.twitter.com/hcwgy0VQWB

— TfL Traffic News (@TfLTrafficNews) July 18, 2016

The fire brigade was called just before 12pm and the bridge was closed to cars in both directions.

No one was injured and the cause is under investigation, the fire brigade said on Twitter.

Though the cause is unknown, the fire happened on the hottest day of the year in the UK so far, with the Met forecasting temperatures over 30 degrees.

We're dealing with a taxi cab on fire on #Blackfriars Bridge. The bridge is closed in both directions © @EveKIng pic.twitter.com/iQdNG1zeOp

— London Fire Brigade (@LondonFire) July 18, 2016
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