125 Firefighters Battle Blaze That Damaged Homes, Gardens and Rail Embankment in Walthamstow

Fire Crews Battle Large Blaze in East London

About 125 firefighters responded to a fire in Walthamstow, east London, on Sunday evening, according to the London Fire Brigade (LFB). The blaze damaged homes, gardens, sheds and a railway embankment near Vallentin Road and Shernhall Street.

LFB said it received the first of more than 100 emergency calls just before 18:30 BST. Crews had the fire under control by 22:35, roughly four hours later.

No injuries were reported, LFB confirmed. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Scale of the Damage

Assistant Commissioner Tom Goodall said one house was fully on fire, a second suffered damage to a rear extension, and the gardens of 30 separate properties were affected.

The fire also spread to a nearby railway embankment, forcing a partial closure of the Weaver Overground line. LFB said disruption to rail service was expected to continue into Monday morning.

During the incident, the fire service told residents in the area to keep windows and doors shut because of the amount of smoke being produced. Motorists were told to avoid Wood Street, Shernhall Street and surrounding roads while road closures were in effect.

Community Response

LFB set up two rest centres for residents displaced or affected by the fire. Local MP Stella Creasy said in a Sunday evening Instagram post that "hundreds" of people had been affected.

Creasy thanked residents for bringing food and water donations to the rest centres, saying "it would make you cry to see what our community's done."

What's Still Unknown

LFB has not said what started the fire or whether it began in a home, a garden shed, or on the embankment itself before spreading. Investigators will need to determine the ignition point and whether the fire's rapid spread across 30 properties points to dry conditions, wind, or other factors.

The incident also lands amid a broader strain on London's fire service. LFB has separately reported handling a record number of emergency calls within a 24-hour period in recent weeks, and crews also responded to a substantial trackside fire that shut down Stratford station.

Residents in the affected streets are waiting on LFB's investigation to determine the cause, and on Transport for London or the relevant rail operator to confirm when full Overground service through the area will resume.