Fire investigators from the London Fire Brigade will today continue their investigation into the cause of a huge fire at a derelict East London warehouse yesterday (12 November), but initial enquiries indicate the fire was accidental.
The first fire crews from the Brigade were on the scene within five minutes of being called to the devastating fire at the single storey warehouse on Waterden Road.
At the height of the incident, the building was completely alight and around 85 firefighters were tackling the blaze. They were confronted by plumes of thick black smoke, fuelled further by polystyrene panels, and worked quickly to ascertain the risk to the safety of Brigade staff and the public and bring the fire under control.
All of the disused warehouse, of approximately 80 metres by 60 metres, was damaged by fire. The Brigade was called at 1206 and the fire was under control by 1623. Other emergency services were also on hand to support the Brigade.
Dave Brown, the Brigade’s Assistant Commissioner for Service Delivery, said: “We had 150 calls into the Brigade’s Control room about this incident, with a large plume of smoke seen over the capital.
“Our initial concern when we arrive at any incident is always to assess the risk to life and we worked well with constructors on the site to quickly establish there was none. Due to our training and the manner in which we tackled the fire, crews managed to suppress the smoke, rapidly reducing any risk to the people of London.”
London Fire Brigade scientific advisers worked with the Health Protection Agency following reports that asbestos materials were involved in the fire.
Prof Virginia Murray, Head of HPA London’s Chemical Hazards and Poisons Unit, said: “Large scale fires involving materials containing asbestos are relatively common in the UK and can cause significant public concern.
“The levels of exposure to asbestos experienced by members of the public, following fires involving materials containing asbestos, is not likely to cause ill health. Research shows it is exposure to asbestos over long periods of time that can carry significant long-term health risks.
“There is no direct evidence of long-term health risks following a fire involving asbestos, provided that appropriate clean-up operations are undertaken.”
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