Gardens Sheds Set Alight During Northolt New Year Celebration
Industrial fireworks used for private display
Picture: London Fire Brigade
Two gardens sheds caught fire after they were struck by fireworks during a New Year’s Eve celebration in Northolt.
Industrial fireworks were used for the display in a private garden and London Fire Brigade are warning these are not suitable for use by people without the necessary training.
Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters were called to the blaze on Russell Road at 10.34pm and the fire was under control just over an hour later. Fire crews from Northolt, Wembley and Harrow fire stations attended the scene.
One single-storey timber shed in the back garden of adjacent a semi-detached house was destroyed by the fire. A second, single-storey timber shed in the same garden was partly destroyed. Timber fencing and a timber shed in the garden of the house next door also caught fire. Firefighters worked hard to cut away burning timber from the sheds to quell the fire and extinguish burning trees and shrubs around the gardens that were spreading the blaze.
Industrial fireworks involve 60-80 fireworks packed into a single box, which cause much larger and more powerful explosions than fireworks on sale for personal use.
Station officer Patrick Flynn, who attended the scene, said, “We arrived to find a well-developed fire in the garden of the property, spreading to the shed of the neighbouring garden’s fencing, shed and greenery.
“It is totally inappropriate to use industrial fireworks for a display in a private garden. The resulting explosions are too powerful for densely-populated residential areas and this caused the fire that affected two properties.”
Fireworks come in 4 categories. Category 1 are low-hazard fireworks such as party poppers and Christmas crackers, while category 2 are ‘adult fireworks’ available to buy in shops and supermarkets. These will have Category F2 or F3 on the box.
Category 4 fireworks are banned for sale to the public and are for professional displays only. These are only available to buy from specialist suppliers.
The Fire Brigade also attended a fire in West Ealing on 2 January which they believe was caused by unattended cooking.
Part of a flat on the second floor of a three storey block on Berners Drive was damaged by the fire. Firefighters assisted one man from the property. He was assessed at the scene by London Ambulance Service crews. The Brigade was called at 2.03pm and the fire was under control within half an hour. Two fire engines and around 10 firefighters from Southall, Northolt and Ealing fire stations were at the scene.
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said. "Fires are more likely to start in the kitchen than in any other room in the home.
"Cooking should never be left unattended on the hob or grill and if you have to leave the kitchen, turn off the heat.
"Chip pans and cooking with hot oil can be really dangerous and the risk increases when you start frying food more than once.
"All it can take it for you to become distracted for a few seconds and your cooking oil can quickly go up in flames."
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January 5, 2021