An incident involving an electrical sub station caused an evacuation of the Old Bailey.
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The Old Bailey remains closed for emergency repairs after an electrical fault sparked a fire on Wednesday morning.
Shortly after 10am, there was black smoke and loud blasts from an electrical substation near the rear of the Old Bailey.
Inside the courtrooms, lights flickered and dimmed. Some rooms were in complete darkness.
Around 1500 Jurors, judges, court staff, journalists and lawyers were immediately evacuated from the front of the building.
Fire believed to accidental, but terrorism fears remain
London Fire Brigade said: “Firefighters worked with UK Power Networks to make the scene safe and bring the fire under control. The ground floor substation was partly damaged in the incident”. They have since said the cause was “likely accidental” and “there was nothing suspicious about the fire.”
Temporary chief inspector of City of London Police, Tom Fisher said: “There is no indication at this stage that this is anything other than an incident involving an electrical sub station”. Nobody was hurt in the fire.
However, terrorism specialists have raised concerns that the incident comes amidst a trend of “infrastructural attacks” on nuclear, electricity and water supplies. Professor Matthew Feldman said:
“Whether it is just a coincidence or something that does have some causality about it, there is no doubt this is something that is being increasingly advocated by neo-Nazi revolutionaries.”
“There was a collective gasp in the courtroom”
City News spoke to one of the evacuees, BBC News journalist Nick Johnson.
“The lights in the room started flickering, it was like an electrical humming noise”, he said while outside the building. “All the lights went out and there was a collective gasp in the courtroom and then within seconds the fire alarm went off.”
BBC News journalist, Nick Johnson Credit: Ciara Tippen for City News
Around 25 firefighters were called to the scene of the fire.
“We weren’t sure if this was a false alarm”
Nick said the evacuation was over quickly.
“Everyone was outside in under a minute. We heard the sirens and could smell the smoke; we weren’t sure if this was a false alarm”
Barristers and other court users were told by security officials that they would not be allowed back inside to collect their belongings until safety checks had been carried out.
Aftermath of the fire Credit: City News
Defendants were escorted by police through a side exit into waiting prison vans.
High-profile cases were disrupted by the fire, including the trial of aristocrat Constance Marten.
The court is expected to reopen on Friday.
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HeadlineOld Bailey to remain closed for rest of week after fire
Short HeadlineOld Bailey to remain closed for rest of week
StandfirstTerrorism experts have raised concerns after a fire broke out yesterday morning.
The Old Bailey remains closed for emergency repairs after an electrical fault sparked a fire on Wednesday morning.
Shortly after 10am, there was black smoke and loud blasts from an electrical substation near the rear of the Old Bailey.
Inside the courtrooms, lights flickered and dimmed. Some rooms were in complete darkness.
Around 1500 Jurors, judges, court staff, journalists and lawyers were immediately evacuated from the front of the building.
Fire believed to accidental, but terrorism fears remain
London Fire Brigade said: “Firefighters worked with UK Power Networks to make the scene safe and bring the fire under control. The ground floor substation was partly damaged in the incident”. They have since said the cause was “likely accidental” and “there was nothing suspicious about the fire.”
Temporary chief inspector of City of London Police, Tom Fisher said: “There is no indication at this stage that this is anything other than an incident involving an electrical sub station”. Nobody was hurt in the fire.
However, terrorism specialists have raised concerns that the incident comes amidst a trend of “infrastructural attacks” on nuclear, electricity and water supplies. Professor Matthew Feldman said:
“Whether it is just a coincidence or something that does have some causality about it, there is no doubt this is something that is being increasingly advocated by neo-Nazi revolutionaries.”
“There was a collective gasp in the courtroom”
City News spoke to one of the evacuees, BBC News journalist Nick Johnson.
“The lights in the room started flickering, it was like an electrical humming noise”, he said while outside the building. “All the lights went out and there was a collective gasp in the courtroom and then within seconds the fire alarm went off.”
BBC News journalist, Nick Johnson Credit: Ciara Tippen for City News
Around 25 firefighters were called to the scene of the fire.
“We weren’t sure if this was a false alarm”
Nick said the evacuation was over quickly.
“Everyone was outside in under a minute. We heard the sirens and could smell the smoke; we weren’t sure if this was a false alarm”
Barristers and other court users were told by security officials that they would not be allowed back inside to collect their belongings until safety checks had been carried out.
Aftermath of the fire Credit: City News
Defendants were escorted by police through a side exit into waiting prison vans.
High-profile cases were disrupted by the fire, including the trial of aristocrat Constance Marten.
