Residents of London are cautioned against the use of candles following a series of fires during the holiday season.

On Saturday night, a woman was hospitalized when a fire erupted in a home in Edmonton, north London. This incident occurred just two days after similar fires were reported at residences in Hayes, south-east London, and Croydon, south London.

Additionally, on Christmas Eve, around 40 firefighters were dispatched to tackle a blaze at a maisonette in Peckham, where two adults required treatment for smoke inhalation.

It is believed that all four fires were ignited by unattended burning candles.

Richard Arnold, the deputy assistant commissioner at the London Fire Brigade (LFB), stated: “Fires can cause significant destruction any time of year, but the risk escalates during Christmas, potentially leaving families without homes and losing their belongings.”

“We urge Londoners to take every necessary measure to avoid having fires ruin their holiday celebrations.”

The brigade has reiterated its warning, which was first issued on Christmas Eve after a fire incident in Stockwell.

The Edmonton fire required the response of 25 firefighters, as flames spread from a bedroom to the rest of the first floor and the roof.

In Hayes, the fire affected parts of the first floor, but all three occupants managed to evacuate safely.

The blaze in Croydon broke out in a flat on Elmwood Road when bedding caught fire due to a candle. Fortunately, the three residents escaped without injuries from the fourth-floor inferno.

The Christmas Eve fire in Peckham prompted 12 emergency calls, according to the LFB.

Furthermore, the fire brigade is advising against placing portable heaters near flammable materials, following another house fire on Christmas Day that was thought to be caused by textiles left too close to a fan heater.