Latest news with #LondonFireBrigade

Huge fire at shop in East London fills the sky with smoke

Metro

12 hours ago

Business
Metro

Huge fire at shop in East London fills the sky with smoke

Locals are being asked to keep their windows and doors closed after a shop caught fire in East Ham. The fire with flats above on High Street North in east London was first reported at about 7pm. Half of the shop, located in a mid-terrace, is alight, and there are 70 firefighters at the scene, the London Fire Brigade said. Station Commander Darren McTernan said at the scene: 'Crews are working hard to bring this fire under control. 'High Street North will remain closed while the incident is ongoing. 'Please avoid the area and we advise people to keep windows and doors closed due to large amounts of smoke.' Fire crews from East Ham, Plaistow, Stratford and other surrounding fire stations have been sent to the scene. More Trending High Street North has been closed off by the police and fire brigade. There is thick dark smoke pouring out of the building and rising into the sky above. No casualties have been confirmed so far, and the fire brigade says the incident is likely to cause significant travel disruption well into the evening. Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ Or you can submit your videos and pictures here. For more stories like this, check our news page. Follow on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here. MORE: Live jazz, dinner and drinks in Mayfair: 10 unmissable Time Out deals MORE: Map shows average savings in different UK regions — how does yours compare? MORE: We tried London's hottest new pizza spot that doesn't 'scrimp on the toppings'

Fire engulfed Millionaire's Row mansion that was being turned into dream home

Daily Mirror

3 days ago

Business
Daily Mirror

Fire engulfed Millionaire's Row mansion that was being turned into dream home

Hollybush House, a Grade II-listed property in Barnet, north London, was destroyed after a fire tore through the nine-bed home in a matter of minutes on Monday morning A fire-ravaged Millionaire's Row mansion was being transformed into a dream family home, neighbours said. Around 70 firefighters rushed to Hollybush House, a Grade II-listed property in Barnet, north London, when the fire broke out in the early hours of Monday morning. The property, in highly sought after area of Hadley Green, was currently undergoing extensive renovations to restore the building, planning documents submitted to Barnet Council show. ‌ And neighbours said the owners had ploughed in thousands of pounds to carry out the works, which included repairing the roof and laying stone flooring in the hallway. They also wanted to reopen a historic fireplace in the first floor master bedroom, it is believed. ‌ The applicant for the works is Robert and Helen Speroni, and Mail Online reports the former is the managing director of £80million turnover building products firm Radmat. A Helen Speroni is also listed on Companies House as a director. Neighbours, some of whom have lived in the area for the last two decades, said the 18th century mansion was sold in around 2020 to the Speronis in a multi-million-pound deal. The previous owner, Janet Fernau, founded charity Haemochromatosis UK in 1990 and was appointed an MBE for her services to healthcare, but died in 2023. One neighbour, who asked to remain anonymous, said: "We live around here and they've been doing renovation work for ages on it. It's just so weird that a fire would start at that time on a bank holiday Monday. Makes no sense." Steve Clarke, 60, told The Telegraph the building was a "complete house" with it "close to being ready". He said: "When I heard about it this morning, I didn't think it would look like that, you can see it's got no roof or windows." And Jacqui Beaumont, a teacher in her 60s, who lives nearby, said: "It would have been an utterly magnificent house with a view across this beautiful green space that we're very lucky to enjoy here in Barnet. It looked pristine, but now it's been ruined." London Fire Brigade used 32-metre turntable ladders to tackle the blaze from above. The service battled through the night to save as much of Hollybush House as they could. But pictures since taken at the scene show much of the sprawling nine-bed home is now gone. The cause of the blaze is not known at this time, London Fire Brigade continued. The road is home to scores of detached houses with seven-figure price tags. Hollybush House was built in the late 1700s and boasts six bedrooms in the main home - one with its own roof garden - and three more in an attached "cottage".

Elderly couple died in house fire after 999 operator did not hear smoke alarm

Yahoo

3 days ago

Health
Yahoo

Elderly couple died in house fire after 999 operator did not hear smoke alarm

An elderly couple died in a house fire after the smoke alarm was not heard by the operator during a 999 call, an inquest heard. Bernard and Caroline Cleall, both in their 70s, perished in the blaze at the detached property in Addiscombe, near Croydon, south London, on the evening of Jan 5 2022. Mrs Cleall, who suffered from health issues including limited mobility, had been discharged from hospital months earlier with an alarm call button to be worn on a pendant all day. On the day of their deaths, Mrs Cleall pressed the alarm but was not able to communicate sufficiently as she was stuck in the room where the fire took hold and Mr Cleall was already incapacitated by the smoke. A smoke alarm was sounding in the same room but this was not heard by the call operator. Ivor Collett, the assistant coroner, said: 'The operator caused Careline responders to attend, but the fire brigade were called only once the responders arrived and discovered the fire. 'By that time it was too late to save the two occupants of the house.' At an inquest in April, their cause of death was given as 'inhalation of smoke'. Four fire engines and 25 firefighters were called to the cul-de-sac at 8.08pm and the blaze was under control by 8.59pm. Mr Collett raised concerns that Mrs Cleall was not given the enhanced alarm package, which includes a smoke detector. When triggered, the smoke alarm would have sent an urgent signal to the call operator without the need for the pendant button to be pressed. That automatic feature would have resulted in the London Fire Brigade being notified of an emergency immediately, the coroner said. Mr Collett issued a Prevention of Future Death report on May 9 raising further concerns about the assessment of which alarm package patients should be given. There was no evidence in this case of the content of any assessment, discussion or advice as to the appropriate level of alarm package for Mrs Cleall, he said. He also raised concerns that Croydon social care services was not able to access the record of assessments carried out at Croydon Hospital, depriving it of the ability to review patients' needs properly following discharge into the community. After their deaths, one neighbour said: 'They are a kind old couple ... The woman could barely walk. I know the son visits sometimes, but I don't think he was in.' Another neighbour said: 'They seemed like a sweet couple who always liked pottering around in their garden with their dogs. It looks like they lived there for a long time.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.

Dramatic fire destroys £4.5m Grade II-listed mansion in north London

The Independent

4 days ago

General
The Independent

Dramatic fire destroys £4.5m Grade II-listed mansion in north London

A Grade II-listed 18th century mansion has been destroyed after a huge fire ripped through it overnight. Seventy firefighters rushed to tackle the blaze at the £4.5m nine-bedroom Georgian home, known as Hollybush House, in Barnet, north London, at around 1am on Monday. The building collapsed after the whole roof, as well as the first floor and ground floor, caught fire, the London Fire Brigade said. The property was undergoing refurbishment after it was bought in 2020. There were no reports of any injuries while the cause of the blaze is under investigation. Were you affected by the fire? Contact Ten fire engines were at the site on Monday morning, with firefighters still using water to put out the blaze as smoke billowed over the 2.2-acre site. Hollybush House was built in the 1790 and sprawls over two acres of land including an attached cottage, according to planning documents. The main building includes seven reception rooms and six offices, according to estate agents. It also has a pond and a large, heated swimming pool. It also had a drawing room, library, kitchen, dining room, sitting room and art room, with an adjoining garage, estate agents added. A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: 'Ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters tackled a fire at a house on Hadley Green Road in Barnet. 'The entire roof, as well as the first and ground floors of a detached house undergoing refurbishment were alight. The structure subsequently suffered a partial collapse. 'There are no reports of any injuries. One of the brigade's 32-metre turntable ladders was used at the scene as a water tower to tackle the fire from above. 'Control officers took the first of eight calls to the fire at 1.10am and mobilised crews from Southgate, Barnet, Finchley and surrounding fire stations to the scene. 'The fire was under control by 4.48am but crews remain on scene this morning damping down hot spots. The cause of the fire is under investigation.'

Telegraph