Firefighters battle blaze at central London restaurant as residents flee homes

Firefighters tackled the blaze within ground floor restaurant Lebanese Grill Express in Leather Lane at the junction with Hatton Wall on Thursday morning.Twelve fire engines and around 80 firefighters are battling the fire on Leather Lane in Clerkenwell London Fire Brigade Residents in the properties above fled their homes before London Fire Brigade arrived as the fire spread to the ducting in the three-storey building.The fire took place just a day after the restaurant reopened following a police-ordered closure.It was temporarily shut down due to reports of antisocial behaviour.The roof of the building, as well as a loft extension were destroyed as the fire spread. Half of the first floor and part of the second floor were also damaged by the fire, the LFB said.There were no reports of any injuries. Twelve fire engines were sent to the scene after firefighters were called at 5.42am. The fire was under control by 8.51am.Two of the Brigade's 32-metre turntable ladders were deployed to the scene to help fight the fire from above. Firefighters evacuated neighbouring properties as a precaution. Leather Lane and the surrounding streets have been closed causing heavy traffic congestion, with firefighters advising people to avoid the area.The cause of the fire is under investigation.