A large fire engulfed a garden centre near Heathrow Airport, sending plumes of smoke across west London yesterday.?Up to 100 firefighters tackled the blaze at Ansell Garden Centre on Holloway Lane, Sipson, which broke out just after 4:30pm.
A 300m (1,000ft) cordon was put in place to prevent an explosion after crews discovered cylinders and fireworks, London Fire Brigade said.
Heathrow flights were not affected and no-one was injured.
Station manager Sanjay Prasad said: “A number of cylinders were in the garden centre, which is why a 300-metre hazard zone was set up as cylinders can explode when exposed to heat.
“Quick-thinking firefighters were able to drag the majority of the cylinders away from the fire which prevented a possible explosion.”
The cause of the blaze is not yet known.
The garden centre is an independent, family run business just north of Heathrow Airport.
Local resident Ed Attwell, who was at the scene, said: “I’ve used the centre many a time. It’s a family run centre and this must be devastating for them.”
