The fire, which broke out in the early hours of the morning, partially destroyed the ground floor flat of a terraced house and completely burned a pile of rubbish in the front garden. Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters attended the scene.

Fortunately, one man smelt burning and was able to wake his family, allowing three people to escape the building before the London Fire Brigade arrived. A woman and a toddler were treated on the scene for smoke inhalation by London Ambulance Service crews.

Importantly, firefighters confirmed that there were no smoke detection devices fitted in the property.

Leading Firefighter Dan Biniaz, who was at the scene, stressed the dangers of not having proper smoke detection in place:

"This incident shows just how important it is to have working smoke alarms fitted on every level of your home. This family were very lucky that one of the residents smelt smoke and woke up.

“Smoke alarms give the earliest possible warning when a fire starts, and we would urge everyone to make sure they have one fitted in every room where a fire can start except kitchens or bathrooms where heat alarms are more appropriate.”

The Brigade’s 999 Control officers received the first call at 00:15 and dispatched crews from Hammersmith, Fulham and Kensington fire stations. The fire was brought under control by 01:21.

The cause of the blaze is believed to be the unsafe disposal of smoking materials in the pile of rubbish in the front garden.

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