Fire Shuts Parts Of M1 'Until Next Week' - Sky News

4:45pm UK, Friday April 15, 2011

Stretches of the M1 on the outskirts of London are set to remain shut until next week, causing chaos for motorists on a busy weekend in the capital.

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Long queues formed after the motorway was closed in both directions from junctions one to four as around 40 firefighters tackled a blaze at a nearby scrapyard.

The fire broke out shortly before 4.11am at a site close to Scratchwood Services and Ellesmere Avenue in Mill Hill.

The ongoing closures are already causing major disruption for motorists trying to get in and out of London for the weekend.

Heavy traffic is expected as tens of thousands of football fans try to get to Wembley for FA Cup semi-finals and the London Marathon takes place on Sunday.

The Highways Agency said it was assessing a viaduct structure near the site to see if there was any severe damage, and diversion routes had been put in place.

Cars queue to leave the M1 in Watford

A number of gas cylinders were involved in the blaze and a hazard zone was set up in case they exploded in the heat, London Fire Brigade said.

About 50 people living in properties near the scrapyard were temporarily evacuated as a precaution while the cylinders, some of which were acetylene, were cooled and made safe.

Train lines close to the area were also shut.

An East Midlands Trains spokeswoman said that half of the tracks on the Midland mainline between St Pancras and Bedford were closed due to the fire, causing cancellations and delays on London services.

The tracks were shut at around 5.20am and reopened at 7.20am.

A statement from traffic monitoring service Trafficlink said: "The opening time (of the M1) is dependent on a safely assessment of the bridge structure at the scene of the fire.

"The gas cylinders have been declared safe, but the outcome of the structural survey is worse than hoped.

"The site needs to be cleared before further structural tests can be done.

"The M1 will remain closed for a significant period of time, possibly into next week."

Six crews remained at the scene this afternoon to put out any remaining pockets of fire.

There were no reports of any injuries, London Fire Brigade said.