A laundrette fire has been blamed on oil on textiles igniting in a tumble dryer.
Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters were called to a laundrette in St Paul’s Road, Highbury at 10.41pm on Monday evening (March 25).
Nobody was injured, but part of the ground floor of the building was damaged.
Fire crews from Islington, Holloway, Shoreditch and Stoke Newington stations had brought the fire under control by 11.38pm.
London Fire Brigade described the blaze as accidental.
A spokesperson said: "These types of fires often involve textiles that become contaminated with oil, most commonly linseed, massage and cooking oil on tea towels, tablecloths and chef whites.
"Sometimes when materials are cleaned and put in tumble dryers, the heat from the tumble drying cannot escape. This can result in a high enough temperature allowing it to build up to a point where it smoulders and eventually ignites.
"Make sure you check the manufacturer's cleaning recommendations of your textiles before washing.
"If you are washing and then drying on a hot cycle, always use the cooling cycle on the tumble dryer so it cools down and allow the heat to dissipate properly, before stacking laundered items together.”
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