Twelve fire engines and approximately 80 firefighters were called to a serious house fire on Knebworth Avenue in Walthamstow, at a rental property believed to have been used as a cannabis factory.
The blaze in the north London property caused extensive damage, destroying the first floor, staircase, and roof of the house, while half of the ground floor was also affected. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
Fire investigators confirmed the blaze was accidental and believe it was sparked by tampering with the property’s electrical supply.
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: “Cannabis factory fires can be particularly dangerous because of the way criminals use unsafe wiring to illegally obtain electricity in order to grow the plants.
“They’re often in top floors or lofts which means when a fire takes hold it spreads, destroying roofs and damaging neighbouring buildings.
“Firefighters can also be exposed to risks when dealing with the fires because of bad wiring and traps at some of the properties.
“It’s important that people know the key signs and inform the police so that they can act swiftly to prevent these dangerous fires from happening.”
The Brigade’s 999 Control officers received the first of two calls alerting them to the fire at almost 3am. They deployed crews from Walthamstow, Chingford, Woodford, Leyton, Tottenham, Edmonton, Homerton, Stratford, Enfield and Holloway fire stations. It took around two hours to get the fire under control.
