The DLR is running short, the Blackwall and Rotherhithe tunnels are closed and tens of thousands of Londoners are without power after a fire at a power plant on Tuesday. The London Fire Brigade (LFB) said a fire broke out in Castor Lane, Poplar at 12.48pm. The brigade said up to 38,000 customers had been affected by power outages. The LFB said the unrest is likely to continue at peak hours and thousands of commuters will be affected by the closure of the Blackwall and Rotherhithe tunnels. DLR services in the area have also been shut down, but have now resumed, albeit with slight delays, Transport for London told Standard. It is understood that power outages also affected communication and signaling services in both tunnels, which led to their closure.

READ MORE

Station commander Colin Digby, who is at the scene, said: “The entire Docklands light rail line has been suspended. “The Blackwall Tunnel and the Rotherhithe Tunnel are also closed, and crews are working to make the scene safe.” Both the Blackwall and Rotherhithe tunnels have been closed due to the fire / LFB The LFB said part of the substation ground floor burned in its last update at 14.40, while the cause of the fire remains unknown. The brigade confirmed to Standard that the fire was still under control from 3 p.m. About 100 people were evacuated from an adjacent warehouse and 1,500 students were evacuated from a college at the back of the substation, the brigade said. Transport for London has also been approached for comment on the shutdown. Rotherhithe Labor Advisor Bill Williams said: “Please avoid all routes related to the Rotherhithe SE16 tunnel. “It is closed in both directions due to a fire at the Poplar substation.” The UK Power Networks also confirmed that areas in east London were on holiday, although its own holiday map showed cuts in many areas across the capital. The UK Power Networks said: “We know of a power outage affecting E1, E1W and E14 areas of London. “Our engineers are working to turn on the power as soon as possible. “For the latest information in your area, visit the outage map.” UK Power Networks reported the shutdown at 12.30pm. While a core of vacations has been reported in the Whitechapel area, there have also been clusters of reports in Belgravia, Westminster, Pimlico, Brixton and Wimbledon.