Southgate restaurant destroyed in fire on UK's hottest day

A restaurant in north London has been destroyed and a woman taken to hospital after the building caught fire yesterday.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. Station commander Sami Goldbrom, who was at the scene, said the blaze started in the restaurant's ducting and spread.

London Fire Brigade was called to Aksular restaurant in Green Lanes, Southgate, at 9.22am and the fire was under control by 8pm. Fire crews from Southgate, Hornsey, Finchley and Tottenham fire stations were at the scene, with 10 fire engines and around 70 firefighters tackling a fire at its height.

London Fire Brigade declared a major incident yesterday after a record-breaking heatwave saw a surge in fires across the capital, with 10 significant fires including a huge residential fire in Wennington.

With 40.2C recorded at Heathrow, it was the hottest day ever recorded in the UK, and Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service also declared a major incident.

Photo: London Fire Brigade