April 27 (Bloomberg) -- London's Oxford Street, the center of the city's retail district, is closed to traffic today after the latest blaze in the U.K. capital engulfed a building housing the flagship store of retailer New Look and kept fire crews busy through the night.

About 50 firefighters remain on the scene of the blaze that began about 7 p.m. yesterday and heavily damaged four floors above New Look, the London Fire Brigade said in a statement on its Web site.

There were no injuries, and 150 firefighters battled the blaze at one point. Hundreds of shoppers were evacuated and the incident caused ``chaos,'' the Evening Standard newspaper reported, citing witnesses.

``Don't know what the cause of the fire was -- that's still under investigation,'' said Phil Wrigley, chief executive of New Look, in an interview. ``Most importantly there are no injuries or issues with any staff or customers.''

The blaze follows a major fire yesterday at an industrial area in Deptford, southeast London, that disrupted the train service in the U.K. capital and forced 200 residents from their homes, and another on April 25 in a City financial district building that used to house UniCredit SpA's HVB Group. There's no indication they're connected.

Oxford Street is the main thoroughfare of London's West End shopping area that has 600 stores and sales of 5.5 billion pounds ($11 billion) last year.

Tube Stations Open

While London Underground stations are operating normally, Oxford Street is closed to vehicle traffic between Oxford Circus and Tottenham Court Road. There's a cordon closing off stores between Oxford Circus and Wells Street that probably will be in place throughout the day, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement. The rest of the street is open as usual.

New Look is owned by the private equity groups Apax Partners Worldwide LLP and Permira Advisers LLP, who are considering selling the retailer. Wrigley said the company is insured against losses and the ``adjusters are already on site.''

A Marks & Spencer Group Plc shop next door to New Look wasn't damaged.

To contact the reporter on this story: Brian Lysaght in London at blysaght@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: April 27, 2007 08:23 EDT