Firefighters rushed to a blaze at a takeaway restaurant on Wandsworth Road in Clapham, urging restaurant owners to maintain clean extraction systems following the incident.
Six fire engines and 35 firefighters and officers responded to the fire, which spread through the restaurant and affected the flats above. The flames destroyed half of the restaurant’s ducting, extending from the ground floor to the third floor, with smoke damage reaching the residential flats upstairs.
Approximately ten residents were evacuated from the flats, and one person exited the takeaway safely. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
London Fire Brigade investigators determined the fire was caused by a buildup of fat and grease inside the ducting, which was ignited by an ember from the grill below. A spokesperson advised, “Restaurant and take-away owners should always take care to make sure their extraction systems are kept clean as a build up of fat and grease within the filters can lead to a fire.”
The Brigade was called at 4.14pm and brought the fire under control by 5.17pm. Crews from Clapham, Brixton, Wandsworth, Peckham, and nearby stations collaborated to extinguish the flames.
Originally published by UKNIP.
