Fire took hold at Aksular in Green Lanes on Tuesday morning, reports James Cracknell

*Firefighters tackling the blaze in Palmers Green this morning (credit London Fire Brigade)*

Ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters have been tackling a fire in Green Lanes, Palmers Green.

The whole of a single storey mid-terraced restaurant, Aksular, caught fire at around 9am on Tuesday and was still being extinguished as of mid-afternoon. London Fire Brigade has confirmed one woman was taken to hospital.

Station Commander Sami Goldbrom, who is at the scene, said: “The fire started in the restaurant’s ducting and has spread.

“Crews are making steady progress in tackling the fire. Conditions are incredibly challenging due to the hot weather and firefighters are likely to be on scene for some time.

“Green Lanes is closed between Broomfield Lane and Fox Lane.

“We have got two aerial ladders on scene assisting crews.”

The brigade’s 999 control officers have taken 17 calls to the blaze. They were first alerted at 9.22am. Fire crews from Southgate, Hornsey, Finchley and Tottenham fire stations are at the scene. The cause is not known at this stage.

The incident is one of many London Fire Brigade has been tackling today, which is now confirmed as the hottest day on record in the UK. Among them are multiple major grass fires, including a massive incident in Wennington (Havering borough) that has spread to several homes.

As a result, brigade has now declared a “major incident”. Assistant commissioner Jonathan Smith said: “We are dealing with an unprecedented heatwave […] We have probably never seen so many weather-related incidents – particularly to do with heat – on this scale before.”

The brigade is advising people not to light barbecues in parks or open spaces, not to leave broken bottles or glass on the ground and to dispose of cigarettes safely.

Update (10pm):

The fire was brought under control just after 8pm. A single-storey building was destroyed by the blaze. Station commander Sami Goldbrom, who was at the scene, said: “The fire started in the restaurant’s ducting and spread.

“Crews worked hard in incredibly challenging conditions due to the hot weather.

“We had got two aerial ladders on scene assisting crews.”

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