Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters were called to a fire in a loft conversion at a flat on Fleeming Road in Walthamstow.
About half of the loft conversion attached to a first floor flat of a terraced house converted into two floors of flats was destroyed by the fire. One person left the property before the Brigade arrived and there were no reported injuries.
The cause of the blaze was found by the Brigade’s fire investigators to be accidental. It involved an electrical fault in a lighting fixture behind plasterboard in the roof.
Station Officer Rob Hurn, who attended the scene, said: “This was a dynamic fire. Our crews accessed the loft through a very tight space and quickly found a number of void areas in the roof, between the plasterboard and the insulation, through which the fire was spreading rapidly. We worked fast to access those voids and stop the fire spreading to the roofs of the neighbouring properties.”
The Brigade’s Fire Investigators also found that there were no smoke alarms fitted in the top floor of the house.
To ensure your home is protected, follow our checklist for fitting smoke alarms:
• Don't just fit a smoke alarm in your hall and landing – also fit them in any room where a fire can start. For example, any room where you smoke or leave appliances plugged in.
• Smoke alarms are not suitable for kitchens but heat alarms are. 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.
• If you choose to have a mains-powered alarm, make sure it's installed by a qualified electrician.
• It's also possible to fit extra automatic 'fire suppression' systems at home – that's things like sprinklers. These are a great idea if there's anything that might prevent you escaping quickly.
The Brigade was called at 1358 and the fire was under control by 1508. Fire crews from Walthamstow and Tottenham fire stations attended the scene.