The London Fire Brigade (LFB) has issued a smoking safety alert following an apartment fire in a 45-storey skyscraper in south-east London.

Cell phone footage showed black clouds of smoke rising into the air, Flames ripped through the building on the 25th floor at Charrington Tower in Biscayne Avenue, Blackwall, on Monday afternoon.

Nobody was injured, but the apartment was partially destroyed.

According to initial investigations, it is assumed that the fire was caused by the improper disposal of a cigarette or cigar, LFB said.

LFB said the first emergency call for the property in the New Providence Wharf Development was received just before 1.30pm (BST) and confirmed the fire was brought under control by 2.50pm.

At its peak, around 70 firefighters fought the flames and a 64-meter-high turntable ladder served as an observation tower.

An eyewitness described how debris fell from the apartment’s balcony, glass shattered and the flames spread.

Property manager Ballymore said most residents were allowed to return to their homes after the fire was extinguished, but some were relocated while repairs were carried out.

LFB said the fire was an accident and warned people to be careful when extinguishing cigarettes.

A spokesman said: “If you smoke, it is extremely important that you put out the cigarette immediately, preferably in an ashtray.”

“Always make sure your cigarette is completely out when you have finished smoking it. If you don’t, you run the risk of a fire as you don’t know what it might land on, which could potentially start a fire.”

LFB urges smokers to follow this advice:

• Smoke outside rather than at home, but make sure cigarettes are properly extinguished and disposed of.
• Never smoke in bed and avoid smoking on armchairs and sofas
• Be especially careful if you are tired, taking prescription medications, or have been drinking alcohol.
• Use suitable ashtrays that cannot tip over

According to the National Council of Fire Chiefs, Fires in private homes caused by smoking products account for the largest proportion of deaths in the UK – 65 of the 185 fire deaths in England in 2022-23 were due to accidental fires caused by sparks from cigarettes or cigars.