A fire broke out at a local cash and carry on the 27th of November 2019.
The fire had broken out in the flat above a local cash and carry named Sakhti Cash and Carry. Many fire crews were at the scene of the fire including fire crews from Hainault and Stratford. The firefighters had gotten to the scene of the fire at approximately 3:45 pm, which is the time that most mothers are out with their children (as this is after schools close and gives enough time for mothers to go to stores and pick up any essentials).
The timing of the fire meant that it was a great danger to not only the people who were directly involved in the fire (e.g. the people inside the store and inside the flat) but also to the many children and their parents travelling on their way home from school. Many roads were closed off due to the fire such as the A123 and Cranbrook road.
When I asked a cashier at the store what the cause of the fire was, she replied that it was due to some sort of electrical fault.
Overall, the fire took approximately three hours to completely subdue (at around 7pm). The majority of the first floor and roof had become damaged but, thankfully there were no reported injuries allowing a silver lining to be seen in this terrible moment.
My final message is that make sure that all electrics are unplugged and/or switched off when you leave the house or when they are not in use. This can prevent unfortunate events like this fire from happening to you or someone that you know.
By Shanzay Yousaf
