Firefighters have issued a reminder of their smoking safety advice following a fire at a mid-terraced house converted into flats on Woodstock Road in Holloway.
A small part of the lower ground floor of a six roomed flat was damaged by the fire. A tonne of household rubbish in a rear garden was also damaged by the fire. Four gas cylinders were cooled to an ambient temperature and removed as a precaution, as some cylinders can explode when exposed to heat. There were no reports of any injuries.
The fire is believed to have been accidental and was 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.”
Control Officers took the first of 11 calls at 0046 (14/05) and mobilised four fire engines and around 25 firefighters from Stoke Newington, Hornsey and Islington fire stations to the scene. The incident was over for firefighters at 0146.