Firefighters rescued six people, four of them by ladder, from a burning house on Fordwych Road. Nine engines attended; the cause is under investigation.
Six people were rescued from a house fire on Fordwych Road in West Hampstead on Thursday night, 24 September.
London Fire Brigade says it was called at 22:23. Nine fire engines and around 65 firefighters went to the house, and the fire was under control by 01:52. (London Fire Brigade)
How the six got out
Firefighters rescued two people from the first floor. Four more were brought down from the second floor by ladder. One other person had left the house before the brigade arrived.
All six were checked at the scene by London Ambulance Service crews for smoke inhalation. The brigade has not said that anyone was taken to hospital.
Most of the ground floor was damaged. That matters, because it is the floor people on the upper storeys would normally escape through.
What the brigade did
- Seven 999 calls came in to the brigade’s control room.
- Control officers stayed on the line with people inside and gave them fire survival guidance until crews arrived.
- Crews used a thermal imaging camera and drones to give the incident commander a fuller picture of the fire.
- Engines came from West Hampstead, Paddington, Willesden and other nearby stations.
The cause is under investigation by London Fire Brigade and the Metropolitan Police. Neither has said anything about how the fire started, so we will not guess. We will add the cause here if either publishes it.
The second Camden house fire this month
It is the second fire in a Camden home this month where people had to be brought out by firefighters.
On 11 September, four engines and around 25 firefighters were called to a flat fire on King Henry’s Road in Primrose Hill. Firefighters led five people to safety and 20 more had left before they arrived. One man was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation. The brigade believes that fire was accidental, caused by an electrical fault in a consumer unit: the fuse box. (London Fire Brigade)
| Fordwych Road, West Hampstead | King Henry's Road, Primrose Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Called | 22:23, 24 Sep | 19:06, 11 Sep |
| Under control | 01:52 | 20:10 |
| Fire engines | 9 | 4 |
| Firefighters | Around 65 | Around 25 |
| Rescued or led out | 6 rescued | 5 led to safety |
| Cause | Under investigation | Believed accidental, electrical fault in a consumer unit |
What it means for you
Both fires ended with everybody out. The brigade’s own advice is that the escape plan and the alarm are what make that possible, and both are free to sort out.
- Check your risk in a few minutes with the brigade’s Home Fire Safety Checker. It gives tailored advice.
- If you are at higher risk, you can get a free home visit. The checker decides who qualifies. Firefighters will fit free smoke alarms during the visit if you need them. You can also fill it in for an older relative or someone you care for.
- Work out how you would get out from an upper floor. In a house or converted house, the stairs usually run down through the ground floor, which is where this fire did its damage. The brigade has a plan specifically for houses and converted flats.
- Test your smoke alarms. The brigade’s guide to smoke and heat alarms covers which type goes in which room.
If you rent privately, Camden’s page on requirements for agents and landlords sets out the rules on smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and electrical safety.
Sources
- London Fire Brigade, House fire, West Hampstead, posted 25 September 2026.
- London Fire Brigade, Flat fire, Primrose Hill, 11 September 2026.
- London Fire Brigade, Home fire safety visits.
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