Big fire near London's Elephant & Castle station

Around 100 firefighters appeared to have brought under control a big fire near the central London train station of Elephant and Castle that sent huge plumes of black smoke over the capital on Monday afternoon.

The London Fire Brigade said that one man was treated at the scene by ambulance crews and urged people to avoid the area and to close all doors and windows. The fire brigade said three commercial units below the railway arches were completely on fire and four cars and a telephone box near the station were also alight.

It also is a major rail hub, home to a busy subway station on the Northern Line as well as overground trains that connects south London and north London. No further details were immediately available.