Incredible footage filmed from the sky using thermal imaging software has captured the scale of a fire that raged under a major central London street for nearly two days.
The pictures, which were used by emergency services fighting the blaze, show several small discs of light representing the intense heat beneath manhole covers.
Searing temperatures produced by a large column of fire that burst from the road can also be seen.
Towards the end of the footage, released by National Police Air Service Redhill, manhole covers just yards from pedestrians are visibly whiter, indicating the underground heat.
The fire underneath Kingsway in Holborn caused nearly 48 hours of disruption, forcing workers to flee office buildings and West End theatres to cancel shows two nights in a row.
Firefighters finally extinguished the blaze at around 10am today when flames died down after the gas supply to the area was cut off.
LFB assistant commissioner Dominic Ellis said: "This has been a complicated and difficult incident to manage.
"The reason it took so long to extinguish the flames is because of the dangers involved in extinguishing the fire before the gas supply is shut down, which could have resulted in the risk of a gas explosion."
Holborn fire - in pictures
Crews were first called to the blaze shortly after 12.30pm on Wednesday, and cordoned off a large area of Holborn as a precaution to protect the public.
Gas supply to four buildings was today still shut off, the National Grid said.
It said 30 commercial properties were affected and engineers were set to continue to work over the Bank Holiday.
A spokesman said: "We are continuing to work with Camden Council, the emergency services and utility companies to the end of this incident."
Today Kingsway and the Strand Underpass remained closed, Transport for London said.
