Emergency services were called to a significant fire at a block of flats in Plaistow, east London, on 21 October 2024, believed to be caused by the failure of a lithium battery.
Control officers at the London Fire Brigade (LFB) received 30 calls regarding the fire at the 15-storey residential building, with crews from East Ham, Plaistow, Stratford, and surrounding fire stations mobilised to the scene.
In total, 10 fire appliances and around 70 firefighters attended the blaze, which began in a flat on the tenth floor. In an update, LFB said: “The fire was located in a three-bedroom flat on the 10th floor, in a residential block of 15 floors. The flat’s interior and balcony were both destroyed by the fire. Balconies on the 11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th floors, directly above the fire, were also heavily damaged by flames.”
Three men were able to leave the flat prior to the arrival of the emergency services, with two treated at the scene by the London Ambulance Service. As reported by The Standard, a spokesperson for the ambulance service said: “We were called at 8.09am this morning to reports of a fire in Queens Road West, Plaistow.
“We sent resources to the scene, including ambulance crews, members of our Hazardous Area Response Team (HART), and an incident response officer.
“The first of our crews arrived in two minutes. We treated two patients, before taking a man to hospital, as a priority, while the other was released at the scene.”
The Brigade added that 30 people were evacuated from the building, with firefighters also carrying out a “systematic search of the affected floors”.
Images taken of the blaze show flames and thick smoke issuing from the upper storeys of one side of the building.
While the fire was quickly brought under control by 9am, people have been advised to avoid the area as crews remained at the scene. In an update, the fire investigation team for LFB stated the fire was started accidentally and caused by the “failure of a lithium battery”.
The Brigade has since issued a reminder regarding the safe use and charging of lithium batteries, including reducing the risk of them overheating by allowing them to cool down before attempting to recharge.
(Photograph by London Fire Brigade)