Electrical overloading is believed to be the cause of a fire at a house converted into flats on New Cross Road in New Cross.
Half of a first floor flat was damaged by fire. One man from the affected flat left the property before the Brigade arrived. He was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation and taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service crews.
A further three people left the building and fire crews evacuated four more as a precaution.
The Brigade’s top electrical safety tips are:
- Don't use imitation electrical chargers as they may be unsafe
- Make sure electrical appliances have a British or European safety mark when you buy them
- Unplugging appliances and chargers when you are not using them or when you go to bed helps reduce the risk of fire
- For plugs that do not come fitted to the appliance, always check you're using the right fuse
Keep to one plug per socket
- If you use an adaptor, use a fused 'in line' type. The adaptor or extension lead will have a limit of how much power it can safely provide so be careful not to overload sockets
- Remember: scorch marks, flickering lights, hot plugs and sockets, fuses that low or circuit-breakers that trip for no obvious reasons could be signs of loose or dangerous wiring
The Brigade was called at 1108 and the fire was under control at 1202. Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters were called to from New Cross, Greenwich, Old Kent Road, and Peckham fire stations attended the scene.
