High Alert

(Fox News) - A section of London was placed on alert Monday night when fears of a chemical attack prompted evacuations — the sealing off of several streets — and the deployment of a hazardous materials response team. Smoke and what was described as an acrid cloud drifted through the area — sending shoppers scrambling — and leaving London police fearing another terrorist incident.

The source was eventually found — a chef at a Thai restaurant who was preparing a eye-wateringly hot chili sauce called Nam Prik Pao. The cooks and waiters say they were baffled when firefighters broke down their door. One waitress who was forced to wait in the street for three hours said the restaurant has been in business for 17 years — and this has never happened before.