A blaze swept through a southwest London property after a man succumb to burning timber in an open fire in his living room to heat his home amid the rising cost of energy bills in the UK.
The incident has sparked an urgent safety warning from the fire service after investigators on Monday determined the cause of the fire was “an open fire being used instead of gas central heating”.
The fire broke out due to combustible items being too close to an open fire.
As the steep rise energy bills fuel the ongoing cost-of-living crisis in the UK the London Fire Brigade (LFB) said there has been more than 100 fires involving open fire, log burners and heaters in the last few months alone.
Fire crews were called to the scene in Kingston Road, New Malden, shortly after 8.30am on April 26 after flames spread through the property. The fire was under control by 10.30am and the house sustained “significant damage”.
London Ambulance Service said it treated three people at the scene, with one man being taken to hospital as a priority. No further details on their injuries have been given.
A witness said they saw the man trying to put out the blaze with a fire extinguisher when it started while a policeman, who happened to be passing by, began knocking on the windows of the adjacent property to make sure the residents got out.
One neighbour, who declined to give her name, told the PA news agency: “You could not see [anything] as the smoke was so thick. It was just unbelievable.
Eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters have been called to reports of a fire on Kingston Road in #NewMalden More info to follow pic.twitter.com/bik7a0aFRq
— London Fire Brigade (@LondonFire) April 26, 2022
London Fire brigade issues urgent warning to UK households as energy prices rise
The concerning rise in incidents sparked an urgent warning from the LFB as Brits find alternative ways to heat their homes throughout the colder months of…
Source : times
