Fast food shop fire - Stratford

Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters were called to a fire at a fast food shop on the High Street in Stratford.

A mid-terraced, single-storey fast food shop was destroyed by fire. Most of the extraction system from the ground floor to the roof of the building was also damaged by the blaze. There were no reports of any injuries.

The alarm was raised by passers-by who saw smoke coming from the building and called the Brigade.

The Brigade’s Fire Investigators believe the fire was accidental and involved a deep fat fryer.

A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: “We’d like to remind restaurant and takeaway owners to make sure that they don’t have dirty ducting.

“If you don’t clean your extraction system regularly, you’re at a greater risk of ducting fires.”

Firefighters' top tips for restaurants and takeaways:

• Have ducting in your extraction system (ventilation) cleaned regularly
• Ensure ducting is installed correctly
• Take extra care when cooking with hot oil as it can easily overheat and catch fire
• Never fill the pan more than one third full of fat or oil
• Make sure food is dry before putting it in hot oil- oil and water are a dangerous mix
• Use an electronic deep fat fryer if possible- they have automatic temperature controls and are much safer
• Complete your Fire Risk Assessment and make an emergency plan

The Brigade was called at 2121 and the fire was under control by 2248. Fire crews from Stratford, Leytonstone, Plaistow and Poplar fire stations attended the scene.