A fire has broken out in Kingsway, London, under the building where the Civil Aviation Authority is based.
The blaze, thought to have been caused by a faulty electrical junction box, has prompted the evacuation of 250 people from a nearby building operated by the London School of Economics.
Firefighters were called at 12.40pm to the incident in Holborn. Offices in the area have been left without power.
A safety cordon has been put in place and the road’s northbound carriageway and Strand tunnel have been closed. Images show smoke coming from an inspection cover on Kingsway.
MSC Cruises’ offices and call centre in Holborn have also been closed for the remainder of the day. Its online agent booking service remains fully functional.
The timing of the fire could have implications for travel firms as CAA systems are understood to be down.
The Easter break is looming and yesterday was the spring renewal deadline for Atol licences.
One source said all communications with the authority ceased at 12.45pm.
“They [the CAA] are always chuntering onto my clients about disaster recovery plans, let’s see how good theirs is.”