Massive fire on Olympic site

A massive fire on the disused industrial estate where the 2012 Olympic park will be built has created a plume of smoke visible across London. Firefighters were called to the blaze just after 12:00, and eight appliances are now said to be in attendance. During the early stages of the blaze, large fireballs characteristic of …

[Trevor Watt]

Is this O2

Is this O2 disposing of all the iPhones that did not sell over the week-end?

[Anonymous Coward]

And here was me thinking this was an IT news site!

I suppose it could be the BOFH disposing of some incriminating evidence but i'm clutching at straws.

[Chris Hamilton]

Please let me be the first to say.....

And the IT/Paris Hilton angle is...????

[Anonymous Coward]

Relax - It's just a test

Of Britain's Olympic flame - fuelled by the world's largest chip pan fire.

The closing ceremony will be a moving event during which the Red Arrows will extinguish the sacred flame using a huge damp teatowel.

[Anonymous Coward]

Terrorist activity????

Isn't it going to be home for the UK's largest Muslim temple? Hardly going to bomb that, are they???

[Anonymous Coward]

Logos

Embarrassed by the ridiculous logo featuring Bart & Lisa engaged in a sexual act, Olympic officials decided to gather together all promotional material at the site and set light to it.

[Hedley Phillips]

That's the Olympic Torch lit

Good to see them on schedule for once.

[Anonymous Coward]

When...

...I saw the headline I immediately thought "China!" but then I realised which third world country it really was.

[Anonymous Coward]

Now there's a thing ...

"The Metropolitan police have already stated that no terrorist involvement is apparent, and that seems like a sensible analysis."

Fancy that - "Metropolitan police" and "sensible analysis" in the same sentence. Wouldn't surprise me if someone tried to pin the blame on al-Qaeda before the day is out though.

[Dan Skinner]

Exclusive pic?

I'm very impressed that you managed to somehow obtain a photo taken somewhere in London of the smoke from a distance.

"Exclusive' as in 'ever so slightly different from everybody else's" then?

[Anonymous Coward]

Arthur Brown....

An abandoned warehouse that was due to be demolished anyway... Clearly no fowl play going on here whatsoever I would assume ;)....

[Roger Kynaston]

Hrmmm.

Insurance job?

[matt]

Sensation helped by BBC

The sensation of it all will have been helped by the inital video coverage by BBC news 24, showing the Girkin in the foreground, with the smoke appearing to be coming from just behind it.

In actual facts the fire is miles away.

I cant see the smoke anymore from the office, maybe the wind has changed... ?

[steve williamson]

coincidence?

Seems rather handy that the buildings were marked for demolition anyway. What's easier - abide by the law and demolish things brick-by-brick or get some punk to set fire to the lot, and have the fire brigade bring it all down?

[b]

the place always was in need of burning!

i used to live just round the corner from waterden road, near victoria park...old ford...for 14 years.

hackney wick always was a toilet, from the early victorian periods...that earth has to be some of the most polluted in london...

it always was exceptionally rough, the people included...at the other end of waterden road is the arse end of stratford...prob filled with yuppies now, i moved out in 2003 ^^

[Jonathan Lane]

Londons burninh

I'm in the Citigroup tower in Canary Wharf and I can see the smoke from my nearest window. It looked at first like it was coming out of the HSBC building as it was hanging ominously over the top of their tower. Maybe the Citigroup traders panicked thinking HSBC was on fire until they realised it's actually miles away.

[Stuart Halliday]

Why do we care?

Ok, please explain why any of us in IT should care if there is a large fire in this city?

Did a single electronic device get harmed?

Me thinks News must be slow in The Reg box again...

[Ross Fleming]

Appliances

These appliances that are there... what are we talking about? Kettles? Washing machines? Doesn't sound very relevant anyway.

All the smoke's cleared now from where I am though.

[Anonymous Coward]

It's all economics.

Someone figured that sweeping up the ashes was cheaper than knocking down the building.

[Abdul Omar]

I recognise that odour

Smells like Apple's iphone ambitions melting down.

[laird cummings]

Meh.

I've seen bigger.

[Dunstan Vavasour]

Lewis Page

Well blow me, only a day after I commend the Reg for their coverage of the JCdeM shooting inquiry, up pops this bit of dummed down Reg24.

Now, in a while there will be an inquiry into a serious fire to analyse - just down the road from me, four firemen entered a burning building on the point of collapse where there were no people, and lost their lives. Why they went in is a serious question - were they wrongly told there were people inside, or did they mistakenly think the building was far less seriously ablaze than it actually was?

Whatever, just because today's has the words "Olympic" in its title, and Lewis had his digital camera handy in the office *doesn't* make it front page Reg news.

PS, I go with the BOFH theory.

[Richard Mason]

Asbestos

Radio news here in Birmingham is reporting the fire is putting asbestos particles into the air.

[Steven Griffiths]

Give it a few months for everyone to forget...

...Then we'll have all them knackered lappy batteries in a fekkin great big bonfire in the East-End when no-one's looking.

Overheard at Sony UK head orifice.

[Anonymous Coward]

Thai Chef

Following their recent debacle in Central London, the plod have closed off 4 roads and are searching for a Thai chef cooking chillis.

[Tom Slezakowski]

I'm tired...

of people moaning about things not being IT related... The fact is, you must have read the title to read the story, if it doesn't look appealing don't click on it!!

For supposed 'IT people', you certainly seem to lack even the most basic ability to 'not click on every link put infront of you' :)

[Mr D]

Does no one get it ?

Its an IT website you can look at and look busy at work keeping up with current events... but there are gems of distraction ready to be un-earthed to kill time till the beer is cold enough to head home..

[Anonymous Coward]

Bloody kids.

I gave them clear orders it was to be burned down when nobody was working on it, and as close as possible to the opening ceremony.

See if I give the little buggers the other 50p now...

[Anonymous Coward]

And in other news...

There was a slight smouldering in the skip outside my house when somebody dropped a cigarette into it. With the smoke being visible for at least 4 yards, and with no immediate suspects, Metropolitan Police could not rule out terrorist activity. "It has all the hall-marks of an Al-Qaeda attack" said one slightly tipsy onlooker. "We are not being sensationalist in any way, shape or form."

P.S. @Jonathan Lane....if Citigroup thought HSBC was going up in smoke, I rather think they would be happy about it...

P.P.S...perhaps it was Citigroup getting rid of some dodgy paperwork following the "resignation" of the top dog...

[Mark Cathcart]

Heck it even made radio news here in the US

Yep, even on the 7am NPR news at KUT Austin, must be a quiet news day

[Steve Browne]

I am surprised that ....

... the government didnt suggest that ID cards would have prevented this. They seem capable of preventing everything else, so a mere fire should be no difficulty at all to these amazing devices .....

[Ken Hagan]

Physics?

Chemistry, surely, or (failing that) odds and sods. Sheesh, if you can't classify your articles properly then you'll get folks asking "where's the IT angle?".

Oh, right...

[John]

Re: I'm tired...

"For supposed 'IT people', you certainly seem to lack even the most basic ability to 'not click on every link put in front of you' :)"

Must be a slow IT day for some. ;-)

Cheers!

John