Kingston Council has launched an investigation after a fire broke out on the Cambridge Gardens estate this weekend.

At about 2pm on Sunday, residents fled the fourth floor of the estate building, when an open coal fire was started in one of the flats with a blocked chimney.

Simon Oelman, Kingston Council’s head of housing management, said: “The council takes such incidents very seriously and we are currently investigating the matter.

“All residents in the block are provided with central heating and in most cases the fire place will have been blocked thus preventing its use.

"The council is currently distributing a leaflet advising tenants that they should not in any circumstances use a coal fire.”

Within minutes, fire engines from Kingston were dispatched to tackle the fire, which was localised inside the chimney and caused minimal damage.

Kingston fire station’s watch manager said: “It could have been quite a serious fire and we are grateful for the public’s quick work in alerting us to it.

“The chimney was quite blocked and there was quite a lot of stuff in there we advised the residents to not use.”