Fire on Shroton Street
Ten people had left a Marylebone house before firefighters arrived after a fire broke out in a second-floor room on Sunday afternoon. The property was used as a house in multiple occupation, and no injuries were reported.
The fire service received the first of three calls about the incident at 2.35pm on 4 October. Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters were sent to Shroton Street, with crews from Paddington, Euston, Soho and nearby stations. The fire was under control by 3.11pm.
Most of the affected room was damaged. The reported damage was confined to that second-floor room; there is no indication that the whole building was destroyed. The ten people were already out before crews reached the address, so the incident account does not describe a rescue from inside the property. There were no reports of injuries.
Cause believed to be accidental
The fire is believed to have been accidental and linked to the unsafe disposal of smoking materials. That remains a stated belief about the cause, rather than a confirmed account of exactly how a particular item ignited. No further detail has been given about where the smoking materials were discarded or who used them.
The incident puts the risks of leaving smoking materials incompletely extinguished back into focus. A cigarette or other smoking material can remain hot after it appears to have gone out. If it is left among combustible rubbish, or falls onto furniture or bedding, a small ember may develop into a fire. The location of the suspected cause has not been specified in this case, and there is no basis to say that any one of those scenarios occurred at the Marylebone property.
Practical steps to reduce the risk
Smoking outdoors is safer, but it does not remove the need to put cigarettes out fully and dispose of them safely. A deep, stable ashtray is less likely to tip; adding a little water and stubbing the cigarette out carefully can help ensure it is extinguished. Lit cigarettes and pipes should not be left unattended or balanced on the edge of an ashtray.
Care is particularly important when someone is tired, drinking alcohol or taking medicines that may make them drowsy. Smoking in bed or on a sofa or armchair is dangerous, especially if there is a chance of falling asleep. Ashtrays should be emptied carefully only once their contents are cold; dampening the material before putting it in a bin reduces the chance that a smouldering butt will ignite waste. A wastepaper basket is not a safe place for smoking waste.
People smoking on balconies should never flick ash or throw cigarette ends over the edge. A falling ember can reach another part of the building, a neighbouring balcony or material below. In a shared or multi-occupancy building, other people may be put at risk by a fire that starts in one room or outside space. Safe disposal therefore matters beyond the person who lit the cigarette.
Smoking materials should be kept away from situations where a person could fall asleep. Extra care is also warranted around people who rely on medical oxygen or other healthcare equipment. Anyone concerned about a smoker’s fire risk can discuss safer habits and support for quitting. For this incident, the immediate reported outcome is that all ten people were out before firefighters arrived, the fire was brought under control within 36 minutes of the first call, and no injuries were reported.
