London Fire Brigade crews said they were tackling a LEAD acid battery fire in the basement of a 13-storey building – which saw eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters called to the scene
07:31, 24 Jan 2026Updated 08:56, 24 Jan 2026
Firefighters at the data centre building in London(Image: LBF/X)
Eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters have raced to a 13-storey building in East London to tackle a LEAD acid battery fire.
The blaze erupted at a data centre building on Nutmeg Lane in Blackwall, E14, at around 4:52am. Crews arrived to find a basement holding around 200 LEAD acid batteries destroyed, the London Fire Brigade said. “Eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters were called to a fire at a data centre building on Nutmeg Lane in Blackwall E14,” the force said in a statement.
“A small part of a basement battery room, storing around 200 LEAD acid batteries in a 13 storey building, was destroyed by fire,” it added.
A section of the building was lit up by flames(Image: LFB/X)
Multiple fire engines and firefighters were pictured at the scene, where a section of the building appeared to be lit up by bright orange flames. Crews from Poplar, Millwall, Plaistow, Stratford, East Ham and East Greenwich fire stations joined in to tackle the fire.
The LFB added: “The Brigade’s 999 Control officers received their first call about the fire at 04:52 and deployed crews from Poplar, Millwall, Plaistow, Stratford, East Ham and East Greenwich fire stations. The fire was under control by 0643. The cause of the fire is under investigation.”