London Fire Brigade issue warning for balconies as sun ignites cardboard and material

The summer is well and truly here, with the country basking in glorious temperatures these last few days. Bright sunshine, however, is a serious fire risk as demonstrated by a balcony fire in London this week.

London Fire Brigade (LFB) attended a blaze in East London where a second floor balcony was well alight. Sunlight had been refracted through bevelled glass and ignited cardboard and other materials stored on the balcony, resulting in a major fire that destroyed the balcony and seriously damaged the adjoining flat. Fortunately, nobody was injured.

Fires caused by sunlight are quite common, with the highest prevalence obviously occurring in the height of summer. The storage of flammable materials on balconies should always be avoided but, as in this fire, many people often use balconies as outside storage areas, creating unnecessary fire risk.

One other way of minimising this risk is to ensure that balconies are fully constructed from non-combustible materials. This way, if objects or materials stored on the balcony catch fire then the fire cannot spread through the balcony construction itself.

The entire AliDeck range is A-Rated for fire and proven non-combustible. Replacing all flammable timber or composite materials on balconies with AliDeck aluminium decking and balcony components is the surest route to achieving fire safety in existing balconies.

To find out more, call the AliDeck team today on 01622 235 672 or email info@alideck.co.uk.