A FIREFIGHTER who tackled the fire at a former furniture shop near Kingsbury last night said he knew it was a big blaze as he approached it from several miles away.

The fire took hold in a derelict furniture shop near Asda, in Capitol Way, Colindale, early yesterday evening.

Mark Brown, station manager at Finchley fire station, said: “When we were called it was quite well alight. I could see the smoke from by Brent Cross, so I knew I had got something.

“We had ten appliances and 50 firefighters because it had potential for spreading. The building goes back as far as you can see, totally undivided.

“The building was reasonably secure, but there are lots of openings, so someone could have got in there.”

Fifteen-year-old Aqeel Iqbil said he was “frightened” after being trapped in Asda's car park on his own, unable to reach his father Javed, of Southbourne Avenue, Colindale, for two hours because police blocked off the car park.

Mr Iqbil, 52, said he had tried to call his son several times but could not get through, but was finally reunited with him at about 8pm.

Teacher Carla Hammond, 26, who works at Preston Park Primary School, in Wembley, took a dramatic picture of the smoke blowing high into the air (above) after being evacuated from Asda.

She said: “It was about 6.45pm and they announced on the tannoy that it could take a long time getting out of the car park because of a fire across the road. Then they said ‘please evacuate’ because it was beginning to get really smoky then.

"I could hardly see the end of the store. You could really smell it. They are going to have to get rid of a lot of food.”

No one is thought to have been injured in the fire.