Firefighters have issued a reminder of their smoking safety advice after a warehouse fire on River Road in Barking.
Part of the fascia of a two-storey warehouse was damaged by fire. Half of a mixed-use storage area was also damaged, and a car was destroyed. There were no reports of any injuries.
Firefighters removed a gas cylinder as a precaution, as some cylinders can explode when exposed to heat.
One of the Brigade’s 32-metre turntable ladders was used as an observation tower, providing a vantage point for incident commanders to assess the incident.
The fire is believed to have been accidental and caused by the unsafe disposal of smoking materials.
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: "If you're a smoker, it’s absolutely vital you ensure your cigarette is completely out when you’ve finished smoking it. If you don’t, you risk causing a fire which could not only destroy your home but also cost you your life.
"With the dry weather conditions that London has been seeing and will continue to see, any fire can quickly get out of control. It only takes a small spark to ignite dry grass, shrubs, or litter and many grass and land fires are caused by discarded cigarettes and matches.
“Never throw cigarette ends out of car windows and if you are smoking on your balcony, have an ashtray to hand, and don’t flick your ashes off the balcony.”
The Brigade’s Control Officers took the first of 32 calls to the fire at 1320 and mobilised four fire engines and around 25 firefighters from Barking, Walthamstow, Ilford and Dagenham fire stations to the scene. The fire was under control by 1602.