Fire engines attend the scene of the fire in Holloway in the early hours of Sunday

EXTORTIONATE energy bills may be behind a fire that saw a man rushed to hospital on Sunday morning, the London Fire Brigade said.

More than 40 firefighters were called to the blaze in Seven Sisters Road, near the junction with Holloway Road, on Sunday at around 3.30am.

The brigade put out a statement warning people to stay safe if using a “portable heater” and saying they believe the fire was an accident caused by “a heat source placed too close to combustible items”.

There are concerns people are using portable heaters rather than turning on the central heating.

The spokesperson added: “We know that people may want to use portable heaters to heat just one room. It’s important to follow the manufacturer’s instructions and ensure these items are safety registered and in good working order.

“The rise in energy costs means there’s a very real risk of heating-related fires.

“We know that people will turn to alternative ways to keep their families warm overnight without turning on the heating, we just want to make sure that people are staying safe at the same time.

McDonald’s manager Spiros Constanipouls

“If you’re using these items around children always supervise them carefully and place heaters somewhere where they won’t be accidentally knocked over and away from anything that could catch fire.”

The blaze, which also affected an office and a shop, was under control around two hours later.

Spiros Constanipouls, assistant manager of a nearby McDonald’s, said he was working a nightshift when the fire broke out in a nearby block of flats.

He said: “There were about six seven fire brigades, they closed off the road here. And we gave coffees and water to the fire people and we told them to sit down.”

Mr Constanipouls warned that Bowmans Mews, where the fire took place – a closed road behind the McDonald’s – can be lawless at times, with fly-tipping and the sale of stolen goods commonplace.

A blue plaque said it was once the site of archery contests, while The Owl and the Pussycat poet Edward Lear was born and lived in nearby Bowman’s Lodge.

Mr Constanipouls said his restaurant – the only one open 24 hours a day in that stretch of road – was open to anyone looking for a place of safety, under a new scheme called the Safe Haven project.