Olympics Fire

A blaze started at the site for the 2012 Olympics park in London yesterday, and sent a plume of acrid smoke into the air over London.

Firefighters were called around midday, as residents across the capital reported seeing the smoke rising thousands of feet into the air.

The fire was in a disused warehouse in Hackney Wick, East London, on the edge of the Olympic park, which is being prepared for the 2012 games.

The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) said that the fire appeared to have been started accidentally, and confirmed that its staff had been at the warehouse earlier in the day.

The London fire brigade said the warehouse was not in use, but it was too early to say how the fire had started or what had caused the thick black smoke.