Elderly couple escape from Ilford house fire

An elderly couple managed to escape from their Ilford home after a fire started in an upstairs bedroom.

The fire which started at around 7:40pm last night in Benton Road, Ilford is thought to have been caused by an old multi-block plug adapter.

It took Ilford firefighters 15 minutes to get the blaze under control.

A spokesman said: “We had to use thermal imaging to find the source of the fire as the smoke was so thick you couldn’t see you hands in front of you.

“We would like to warn residents to check their homes for old plug adapters as many of the older ones do not have a fuse which stops them from overheating. The couple managed to get out unhurt thanks to their smoke alarm, which should be checked once a week.”