Residents of East London were shaken on Saturday evening when a massive explosion occurred during what was supposed to be a controlled blast for a film set. The explosion, which took place on Dock Road in Silvertown, sent a huge plume of smoke into the sky, alarming locals and triggering a swift response from emergency services.
The London Fire Brigade (LFB) confirmed that the fire was the result of a “controlled explosion at a film set which spread out of control.” The fire quickly grew beyond the intended parameters, leading to widespread concern among residents in the surrounding areas, including Greenwich.
Flames and thick smoke were visible from miles away, particularly from the East India Quay area and along the north bank of the River Thames. Panicked residents took to social media shortly before 8 p.m., posting images and videos of the towering smoke cloud and expressing fears about the severity of the situation.
Despite the initial alarm, authorities were quick to reassure the public that the situation was under control. The Metropolitan Police’s Newham branch issued a statement on X (formerly Twitter), clarifying that the explosion was part of a “pre-planned filming event” in Canning Town and posed no risk to the public.
“We are aware of reports of explosions being heard in the vicinity of the O2 in Greenwich. This was part of a pre-planned filming event in the Canning Town E16 area. There is no risk to the public,” the police statement read.
The LFB reported receiving around 90 emergency calls from concerned residents as the fire raged. In response, they dispatched four fire engines and 25 firefighters to the scene. The crews worked quickly to bring the fire under control, managing to extinguish the flames before they could cause more significant damage. The fire brigade confirmed that part of a car and a lorry had caught fire during the incident.
By late evening, the fire was fully contained, though firefighters remained on-site to monitor the situation and ensure there were no further flare-ups. An LFB spokesperson stated, “Firefighters worked quickly to extinguish the fire, which is now under control. Crews will remain on scene for the remainder of the evening.”
While the incident caused significant disruption and concern, the swift response from emergency services helped to prevent any serious injuries or damage beyond the film set. However, the incident has raised questions about the safety measures in place for such controlled explosions, especially in densely populated urban areas.
The film production team involved in the planned explosion has not yet commented on the incident, and it remains unclear what caused the blast to spiral out of control. Local authorities and the fire brigade are expected to conduct a thorough investigation to determine what went wrong and to prevent similar incidents in the future.
For now, East London residents can breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that the explosion, though alarming, was part of a controlled event and did not pose a wider threat to the community.