Fire at kosher supermarket in London's Golders Green neighborhood "non-suspicious," police say

London's firefighting service responded Wednesday to a blaze in the Golders Green neighborhood, home to a large Jewish community that's been targeted by a number of arson attacks in recent months, but police said the blaze was "non-suspicious."

Images from the scene showed the flames coming from the Kosher Kingdom Jewish supermarket, and a column of black smoke rising above the area's main shopping street.

Amid widespread reports that the blaze started due to an electrical fault early Wednesday morning, London Fire Brigade Assistant Commissioner Craig Carter told reporters at the scene that "the circumstances of the fire are not believed to be suspicious at this time."

"We're now able to confirm that the fire at a warehouse in Golders Green is non-suspicious," London's Metropolitan Police said later in a social media message, adding that the force understood the "concern and disruption this incident will have caused to the local community. ... We would like to reassure residents that there is no indication of any targeted or deliberate act." 

The fire brigade said earlier that it had mobilized 15 fire engines and around 100 firefighters after receiving dozens of calls about the blaze.

"The fire is affecting a ground floor shop and a storage area to the rear of the shop," the statement added.

"The fire is producing a significant amount of smoke," it said, urging people to avoid the area "whilst firefighters work to extinguish the fire."

London's Metropolitan Police said it was "too early to have determined the cause" of the fire but that, "Fortunately, there have been no reports of any injuries."

It follows a spate of arson attacks on synagogues and Jewish community sites over recent months in and around Golders Green, in northwest London.

The area saw a stabbing attack in late April that targeted two Jewish men that prompted the U.K. to raise its national threat level from "substantial" to "severe."

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood described the attack as "abhorrent" and a "vile act of terrorism."  

A little-known Iran-linked group, Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI), has claimed responsibility for many of the incidents.

In response, London police created a new "community protection team" to protect the Jewish community in the capital, initially comprised of 100 extra officers. It combines neighborhood policing with "specialist protection and counter-terrorism capabilities," the force said last month.

Members of the community have described living in fear and shock following the recent string of antisemitic attacks.

Police said said officers were at the scene of Wednesday's fire "assisting firefighters with road closures and evacuations."