A fire broke out last night at Transport for London's Silvertown Tunnel site in Newham.
Six fire engines and 40 firefighters were called to the site in London at 10.23pm last night. Before the emergency services arrived, 25 people had been evacuated.
The London Fire Brigade said that half of the site's conveyor belt drive unit was damaged by the fire, but the blaze was brought under control at 12.08am this morning.
Images taken by a bystander show smoke and flames rising from the site (see above). The bystander reported visible flames on the vertical conveyer and smoke billowing from the launch pit.
Station commander Daniel Capon, who was at the scene, said: “Access to the fire was challenging, with firefighters working to reach a sub-surface conveyor belt.
“Crews worked incredibly hard to bring the fire under control.”
A TfL spokesperson said: "We are aware that last night (27 September 2022) a small fire broke out by the conveyor belt system, which removes spoil from the launch chamber of the Silvertown Tunnel in Newham.
"All emergency procedures were followed and nobody was hurt as a result. Safety is our top priority and an urgent investigation with Riverlinx and its contractors is underway to fully understand the cause of the fire."
It comes after the tunnel boring machine (TBM) that will dig the tunnel was launched earlier this month.
The TBM was launched by the Riverlinx CJV – a joint venture between Bam Nuttall, Ferrovial Construction and SK Ecoplant.
The TBM for the project is the largest diameter machine to be used in the UK and the front section alone weighs 1,200t. It passed the factory acceptance test successfully in December 2021 and since arriving in pieces to site has been prepared ahead of final assembly within the launch chamber.
The Silvertown Tunnel involves the construction of a 1.4km twin-bore road tunnel providing a new connection between the A102 Blackwall Tunnel Approach on Greenwich Peninsula, and the Tidal Basin Roundabout junction on the A1020 Lower Lea Crossing/Silvertown Way.
In May the Riverlinx JV successfully placed the tunnel eye in its final position. The tunnel eye will guide the TBM as it makes the first drive on the start of its journey beneath the River Thames, towards Greenwich.
The launch chamber for the TBM has already been excavated ahead of tunnelling, and parts for the TBM started to arrive on site in London shortly before Christmas.
Despite efforts to use sustainable construction methods, the tunnel has caused controversy since its inception with opponents claiming that its construction will lead to higher levels of pollution in the area. In April last year, a group of 52 academics and campaigners called for an “emergency review” to be carried out to determine if the East London project is in line with the UK’s climate change objectives.
Riverlinx and TfL have, however, vowed to carry out the construction of the tunnel as sustainably as possible. Riverlinx has hired Keltbray to run its environmental services contract to ensure that sustainable construction techniques are being implemented onsite.
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Brighton and Hove City Council
Brighton and Hove City Council