Commuters have been evacuated from Gatwick Airport’s train station due to a fire under a train.
Gatwick Express services have been suspended until further notice, the National Rail website said, and there is a reduced service between Bedford and Three Bridges.
The disruption is expected to continue until 3pm, with images shared on social media showing crowds gathered in the terminal after the incident, which reportedly occurred on a service from Brighton bound for London Victoria.
A London Gatwick spokesperson said: “Due to a fire alarm activation at the train station, passengers have been evacuated into the South Terminal. The station is closed while emergency services respond to the incident.
“Teams are responding to the situation and passengers are advised to check before travelling.”
A spokesperson for West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service said: “We are currently responding to a small fire involving a passenger train at Gatwick railway station, South Terminal.
“Crews from West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service and Gatwick Fire & Rescue Service are at the scene.
“All passengers are off the train and the railway station has been evacuated.
“The station is closed while firefighters respond to the incident.”
BBC5 Live presenter Clare McDonnell reported seeing white flashes on the outside of the carriage next to hers as the train pulled in at Gatwick Airport station.
“Passengers on the platform ran away while smoke started coming into the carriage next to mine,” Ms McDonnell told the PA news agency.
“Announcements were made to get off the train and off the platform. Things were calm at first but then staff started to raise their voices to get people to understand the urgency of the situation.
She continued: “As we were going up the stairs, staff were running down with fire extinguishers and telling people to get out of the way, but they were brilliant and people stayed calm.
“The fire, as you can see in the video, is under the train but I’m not sure at this stage if that’s where it started.
“The white flashes and bangs, I think there were around three of them, went up the side of the carriage but could have come from the top or the bottom of the train, I guess?”
This is a breaking news story and is being updated.
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