Up to 150 homes were evacuated early this morning (Monday) after a fire broke out in a tyre shop on the corner of Brent Terrace and Claremont Road, in Cricklewood.

Police and fire crews set up a 200-metre exclusion zone around the blaze, closing roads and evacuating residents because of fears that gas cylinders on the site could explode.

London Fire Brigade said that between 100 and 150 homes were evacuated.

Monty Brahams, an elderly resident who lives near to the shop, said: "My wife, who has a very good sense of smell, woke up at 4am when she smelt burning. We looked out the window and saw two firemen connecting hoses to the fire hydrant outside our house.

"We saw flames and thick, black, acrid smoke coming from the tyre shop and the car wash next door. Those tyres are stored outside and I always thought this would happen one day."

Mr Brahams and his wife watched the fire out of their window until 5am when police knocked on the door. Officers told the couple they had to evacuate their home.

Most residents went to stay with friends or relatives but police took some of the elderly, including Mr Brahams, to Garth Hall Community Centre, Granville Road, where they spent the morning waiting for news.

Six fire engines were called to the scene, but firefighters did not fight the flames for several hours because of the danger of exploding canisters containing propane and acetylene.

A police helicopter with heat-seeking technology hovered over the site to determine if the canisters were in the same building as the fire.

A London Fire Brigade spokesman said: "Acetylene is used a lot in the car garage industry so there was a danger it could have been involved in this fire. It is an extremely dangerous gas. If it had been involved residents would have been evacuated for at least 24 hours."

The building containing propane and acetylene cylinders was not affected by the fire, so the fire brigade was allowed to start extinguishing the fire.

Residents were allowed back into their homes at around 12pm and train services through Cricklewood railway station were not affected.

The cause of the fire is yet to be established.