Rubbish bag caused Luton flats blaze

The fire was caused by a rubbish bag that was too big for the bin chute and was left in refuse room. This then caught alight due to unextinguished material within it say Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue.

Crews from Luton Community Fire Station Dunstable Community Fire Station Leighton Buzzard Community Fire Station were called to the fire in a high rise building in Teesdale, Luton just after 7.30pm yesterday.

Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used jets to extinguish the fire and fans to remove the smoke from the building. Although smoke from the fire was issuing from the building, firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire. Those residents who followed the Stay Put advice were safe in their flats from the smoke and fumes caused by the fire.

A fire service spokesman said: “If you are disposing of smoking materials in your general waste you must ensure that they are fully extinguished before disposing of them.

“Residents of high rise buildings should not leave anything in their bin access room but use the shuts to dispose of their refuse. Residents contravening what is in many buildings a condition of residency could receive a warning and could be liable for eviction.

“If you live in a high-rise building do you know your building’s evacuation plan?

• In the event of a fire in your building we ask that you ‘Stay Put’ – unless the fire is in your flat or a direct neighbours.

• Keep your front door and windows closed, tune into local TV or radio and await further instructions from the emergency services.

• Attempting to exit your property unnecessarily can have an impact on firefighters’ ability to promptly extinguish the fire.”