Three escape blaze in Church Street, Stoke Newington

Three people escaped from an alleyway fire between two shops in Church Street, Stoke Newington.

The blaze on Monday night is believed to have been started by a light bulb igniting cardboard boxes stacked for recycling.

Crews from Stoke Newington tackled the fire between a garden centre and a pet shop after being called by a passer-by.

They confined the fire to the alleyway and three occupants of the garden shop evacuated the building before the brigade arrived.

Smoke also entered nearby flats but nobody was home.

The fire, believed to be accidental, was brought under control in an hour.