Firefighters have issued a reminder of their smoking safety advice following a fire on Berwick Pond Road, Rainham.
The fire involved a brick outbuilding at a commercial property. The outbuilding failed structurally due to the fire, and crews worked to safely cool a number of cylinders that were exposed to increased heat. Crews also worked to extinguish an area of open ground that had caught fire. There are no reports of any injuries.
The fire is believed to have been accidental and was caused by the unsafe disposal of a cigarette.
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, any fire can quickly get out of control. It only takes a few sparks to ignite dry grass, shrubs, or litter and many grass and land fires are caused by discarded cigarettes.
“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 was first called about the incident at 1259, and twelve fire engines and around 80 firefighters from Wennington, Hornchurch, Barking and surrounding fire stations were mobilised to the scene. Crews from Essex County Fire and Rescue service also attended the scene. Firefighters had the incident under control by 1554.