NEIGHBOURS were woken in the early hours of Sunday to find a flat in their street on fire.
Around 25 firefighters tackled the blaze at a home in Ferntower Road, Highbury.

The fire (pictured) began in the basement flat before spreading upwards and sparked caused by the failure of lithium batteries in an electronic device.

A lower ground flat and half the ground floor flat were damaged. Windows could be seen broken and blackened at the council-owned building.

A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: “Fires involving lithium batteries, which power devices, can be ferocious, producing jets of flame.

“The blaze is also hot enough to melt through metal. This type of fire produces a highly flammable, explosive and toxic vapour cloud which should never be inhaled.”

No injuries were reported.