Residents had a lucky escape after a smoke alarm alerted them to a fire in a flat at Festival Court on Cleeve Way in Sutton in the early hours of this morning.
Part of a three roomed flat on the third floor of a block of flats was damaged by fire. Two people evacuated the flat before the Brigade arrived and were taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service (LAS). Firefighters led a further four people from a neighbouring flat to safety via an internal staircase. They were treated at the scene by LAS.
A smoke alarm in the property alerted the residents to the fire prompting them to leave the flat and call the Brigade from a neighbour’s property.
Watch Manager Brennan Healey, who was at the scene, said: “Yet again this incident shows how important it is to have working smoke alarms. If the residents had remained asleep this could have been a very different story. Everyone should have at least one working smoke alarm on every level of their home. This will give the earliest warning if there is a fire in your home.
“It appears a lap top had been left plugged in and may have caused this fire. We would always recommend unplugging appliances and chargers when you are not using them, and especially when you go to bed, to help reduce the risk of fire.”
The Brigade was called at 0102 and was under control by 0214. Four fire engines and 21 firefighters and officers from Mitcham, Sutton and Wimbledon fire stations were at the scene.
The fire is believed to be caused by a faulty battery pack in a laptop computer which was left charging overnight.