Monday 9 May 2022 09:56 AM Man's home goes up in flames after he burnt timber on open fire instead of ... trends now
Rising energy bills is feared to be behind a growing number of house fires after a man in London set his house ablaze when trying to heat his home using timber on an open fire in his living room.
Fire crews were sent to the blaze on Kingston Road, New Malden in south west London at 8.30am on 26 April, and on Monday investigators determined the cause as 'involving an open fire being used instead of gas central heating'.
The inferno has prompted London Fire Brigade (LFB) to issue an urgent safety warning, reporting that there has been more than 100 fires in the capital involving log burners, open fires and heaters in the past few months alone.
It is understood to have also been caused by combustible items too close to an open fire.
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.
The rise in energy bills is feared to cause a surge in house fires after a man living on Kingston Road, New Malden, south west London (pictured) set his house ablaze on 26 April when trying to heat his home using timber on an open fire in his living room instead of gas central heating
LFB said there have been more than 100 fires involving open fires, log burners and heaters in the last few months alone.
It now fears the rise in energy bills could result in a surge of fires as people resort to alternative means to heat their homes throughout the colder spells of the year.
One neighbour, who declined to give her name, said of the blaze last month: 'You could not see [anything] as the smoke was so thick. It was just unbelievable.
'I shut all my windows and whenever I opened the door to let someone in some smoke came into the hallway.'
She added that people taking their children to school were seen getting off buses and
