Major explosion outside O2 leaves people baffled until they find out what it actually is

The reason behind why a massive explosion took place near the O2 Arena in East London has been revealed.

People in the Isle of Dogs and North Greenwich areas of the capital were left baffled last night (31 August) after hearing a 'thunderclap' explosion in the area. Videos of the incident soon began to circulate across social media, with a blaze in the Silvertown district of Newham being the cause of the disruption.

"Noise heard in Isle of Dogs at around 7.55pm, with some people in the area describing it as a thunderstrike," one person wrote on X alongside a series of videos and images from the incident. Another user went on to add that they'd seen a 'BBC World News' truck on fire in the area.

The footage understandably a caused concern online, causing local police and the London Fire Brigade to clarify the explosion was part of pre-planned filming in the area and posed no risk to the general public.

"We are aware of reports of explosions being heard in the vicinity of the #O2 in #Greenwich," Newham Police wrote on X.

"This was part of a pre-planned filming event in the Canning Town #E16 area. There is no risk to the public."

A statement from the London Fire Brigade added that while the blaze caused by the explosion had spread out of control, no one was harmed in the incident.

"The fire in #Silvertown followed a controlled explosion at a film set which spread out of control," the LFB wrote on X.

"Firefighters worked quickly to extinguish the fire, which is now under control. Crews will remain on scene for the remainder of the evening.”

The report added that the blaze had destroyed most of a car, a van and a lorry.

It is unclear who was filming in the area, however a spokesperson for BBC News has since confirmed they were not involved in the production, saying: "There is no BBC News involvement in the events of this evening in docklands."

The explosion had come as a shock to some of the local residents in the area, with one man revealing to the Daily Mail that he hadn't received prior warning about filming taking place.

Describing the sound as an 'earthquake' he said: "We could have been warned there was going to be a controlled explosion.

"I thought it was a bomb. My flat was shaking. It was a huge shock. The smoke went right across the river. It was insane.

"I just thought the worst."

A previous post from the London Borough of Greenwich on X had confirmed that a controlled explosion would be taking place on the location last week, however, it is unclear if the two are part of the same production.