Fire in London is the largest in years, say officials

The 2012 London Olympics went out with a blaze Sunday, as the English capital saw the largest fire it had experienced in years.

A massive fire at a recycling center billowed so much smoke that the plume was visible across the city.

"We've not seen a fire of this size in London for several years,” London Fire Commissioner, Ron Dobson said, reported the Telegraph.

"It's certainly a dramatic end to the Olympics for the London Fire Brigade. That said though, we are still able to attend incidents across the capital and the fire cover we're providing at the Olympic venues has not been affected.

The cause of the fire had yet to be established.

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No injuries have been reported.

Olympic events were not threatened at any time as the fire occurred about seven miles east of the Olympic Park in an area called Dagenham.

Fire cover for Olympic venues had also not been reduced, officials told the BBC.

The blaze began at 1:15 p.m. on Sunday afternoon and was brought under control by 6 p.m.

A Twitter message by the fire service celebrated the end of the fire and the performance of the firefighters involved:

"We'll be there during the night damping down," the tweet said. "An Olympic effort by our crews. Enjoy the Closing Ceremony,” it read, reported the Associated Press.
 

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