Firefighters are warning people to carefully dispose of cigarettes and smoking devices, following a fire in a flat on Rheidol Terrace in Islington last night, which is believed to have been caused by a cigarette.
Fire investigators believe that the fire started when a cigarette was carelessly disposed of. Worse still, the fire was only discovered when a passer-by noticed flames and called the Brigade and then alerted those living in neighbouring flats, allowing 3 people to evacuate.
Fire investigators found that while the affected flat had a smoke alarm, the batteries had been removed. Thankfully there are no injuries.
Part of a ground floor flat in the four storey property was damaged by the fire.
A spokesman for the London Fire Brigade said:
“Incidents like this show how important it is to dispose of cigarettes properly and always have a working smoke alarm. If a passer-by hadn’t noticed the fire, this story could have had a very different ending.
"Everyone should have at least one smoke alarm on every level of your home and the safest option is have those linked together. This will give the earliest warning if there is a fire in your home."
Two fire engines and 10 firefighters from Islington and Shoreditch stations attended the scene.
The Brigade was called at 0112 and the fire was under control by 0146.