London Fire Brigade has warned about the dangers of fireworks after a stray rocket sparked a blaze at a £3 million Kensington house.
The three-storey house behind the Hour Glass pub in Brompton Road, South Kensington, set alight at around 10pm last night (October 23) after a rocket firework, said to have been fired by teenagers, shot into the building.
Fortunately nobody was injured but external scaffolding around the ground, first and second floors of the building was damaged by the fire.
Four fire engines and about 20 firefighters battled the blaze which they managed to have under control at 11.49pm after being called at 10.12pm.
London Fire Brigade watch manager, Justin Swain, was at the scene and used the incident to remind people how important it is to keep the use of fireworks safe, especially as Bonfire Night is soon.
He said: “The building was undergoing some construction work and the fire caused some external damage, melting the aluminium beams and burning the wooden boards.
“With days to go until Bonfire Night we’d remind people to follow the firework safety code to minimise risk of fire and injury.”
The firework safety code:
• People should only buy fireworks marked with the British Standard Kitemark BS7114
• Don’t drink alcohol if setting off fireworks
• Keep fireworks in a closed box and always follow the instructions carefully when using them
• Light them at arms length using a taper and stand well back
• Never go back to them once they are lit. Even if a firework hasn’t gone off, it could still explode
• Never throw fireworks and never put them in your pocket
• Respect your neighbours – don’t let off fireworks late at night and remember there are laws to follow
• Take care with sparklers – never give them to children under five. Even when they have gone out they are still hot so put sparklers in a bucket of water after use
• Keep your pets indoors throughout the evening.
