Firefighters rushed to a serious blaze at a takeaway restaurant on Wandsworth Road in Clapham, London. The incident has raised concerns about the importance of maintaining clean extraction systems in food establishments.
Six fire engines and 35 firefighters and officers attended the scene as flames tore through the restaurant’s ducting, which extended from the ground floor up to the third floor. The fire caused significant damage to half of the ducting system, while smoke spread into the residential flats located above the takeaway.
Approximately ten residents living in the flats were evacuated safely, and one person exited the shop without injury. Thankfully, no injuries were reported following the fire.
Investigations by the London Fire Brigade revealed that the fire was sparked by a buildup of fat and grease inside the ducting. An ember from the grill below ignited the accumulated grease, causing the blaze. A spokesperson from the Brigade 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 alerted to the fire at 4.14pm and managed to bring the blaze under control by 5.17pm. Fire crews from Clapham, Brixton, Wandsworth, Peckham, and nearby stations collaborated to extinguish the flames and prevent further damage to the flats above.
Originally published by UKNIP.
