Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters from Southall and Hillingdon fire stations were called to a fire at an industrial estate on Springfield Road in Hayes yesterday (April 9th) morning. The fire was under control by 7:59am.
A ground floor shop in a two-storey industrial unit were destroyed by the fire. Thankfully, no injuries were reported.
Fire investigators believe the fire was caused by self-heating towels.
A London Fire Brigade 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. Make sure you check the manufacturers cleaning recommendations of your textiles before washing.
“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.
“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.”
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
