REVELLERS at a surprise birthday got another surprise when fire broke out during the celebrations at their host’s home in London’s East End last night (Monday). They fled into the street for safety—then some walked a few yards to Bow fires station in the same street and knocked on the door to raise the alarm

Mike Brooke

REVELLERS at a surprise birthday got another surprise when fire broke out during the celebrations at their host’s home in London’s East End last night (Monday).

They fled to safety—then some walked a few yards to Bow fires station in the same street and knocked on the door to raise the alarm.

The blaze started in an upstairs bedroom of the three-storey terraced house in Parnell Road.

“The first thing we knew was when guests knocked on the fire-station door,” said watch manager Nurinder Dail.

“Then we got the 999 call alerting us to the fire at the same property.

“The guests were lucky to get out in time, as there was no smoke detector fitted in the house which would have alerted them much earlier.

“A lot of people were in the house, so it could have been worse.”

But only one guest at the 30th birthday party, held for the son of a woman living there, needed any medical help. A 50-year-old man was treated in the street by an ambulance crew for the effects of breathing in smoke.

None of the other 20 guests were injured and all made their way safely into the street during the blaze, which damaged the bedroom and smoke-logged the first floor. Fire investigators were later looking into how it started.