Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters were called to a fire at a house on Kings Road in Edmonton.
Half of the ground floor of a terraced house was damaged by fire. One man left the building before the Brigade arrived. He was taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service crews.
The Brigade's Fire Investigators believe the fire was caused by objects placed too close to an electric hob igniting.
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: “You should never place anything that could catch fire near to the hob.
“Keep all objects, like tea towels, cloths and plastic bowls well away from the cooker and always check the hob is turned off when you've finished cooking.
"It's also really important that you have working smoke alarms fitted inside your home and a heat alarm in your kitchen. Smoke alarms will give you the earliest warning of a fire, providing time to escape."
Practical steps for safer cooking
- Don’t leave cooking unattended on the hob or grill – if you have to leave the kitchen, turn off the heat.
- Have a heat alarm fitted in your kitchen. Fitting a heat alarm in your kitchen will give you warning of an increase in temperature caused by a fire but will not be set off by cooking fumes.
- Not feeling 100 per cent? Order a takeaway – if you're very tired, have been drinking alcohol or are taking medication that might make you drowsy, it's safer not to risk it.
- Be fabric aware – loose clothing can easily catch fire, so take care not to lean over a hot hob, and always keep tea towels and cloths away from the cooker and hob.
- Try to keep the oven, hob, cooker hood, extractor fan and grill clean – built up fat and grease can ignite and cause a fire.
- Use spark devices to light gas cookers – they are much safer than matches or lighters, as they don’t have a naked flame. They are safer around children, too.
- Double check the cooker and hob are turned off when you’ve finished cooking.
- Check toasters are clean and not placed under kitchen cabinets or close to anything that can catch fire.
The Brigade was called at 1416 and the fire was under control by 1516. Fire crews from Edmonton, Tottenham and Enfield fire stations attended the scene.
