Self-combusting oily rags thought to have caused Stoke Newington blaze

A blaze that ripped through a house in Stoke Newington is thought to have been caused by the spontaneous combustion of oily rags.

A staircase was damaged in the three-storey home in Bouverie Road on Sunday, but no one was injured as the property is under renovation.

It took 35 fire fighters nearly four hours to bring the blaze under control.

A spokesman for the London Fire Brigade said: “The cause of the fire is believed to be accidental, most likely due to self heating of oily rags.”