A small fire broke out in a basement corridor involving stacked towels. Before the Brigade arrived, approximately 700 people left the building. There were no reported injuries.
The fire is thought to have been caused by self-heating towels in the spa area.
These types of fires frequently involve textiles that become contaminated with oil, most commonly linseed, massage, and cooking oil on tea towels, tablecloths, and chef whites,” a London Fire Brigade spokesperson said. Before washing, always check the manufacturer’s cleaning instructions for your textiles.
When materials are cleaned and placed in tumble dryers, the heat from the tumble drying cannot always escape.” This can cause a high enough temperature to build up, allowing it to smoulder and eventually ignite.
“When washing and drying on a hot cycle, always use the cooling cycle on the tumble dryer to allow it to cool down and allow the heat to dissipate properly before stacking laundered items together.”
The London Fire Brigade was called at 6.37 p.m., and the fire was out by 7.35 p.m. Dowgate, Shoreditch, Whitechapel, and Soho fire stations all sent crews to the scene.
