A community garden in east London was damaged by a fire on Wednesday night, with residents reporting explosions and flames visible across the capital. The Garden of Earthly Delights on Graham Road, Hackney, was engulfed in smoke after the blaze broke out just after 10pm.
People living next to the garden were evacuated as firefighters tackled the fire. The wooden workshop at the end of the garden was left a charred shell, but the garden itself was saved thanks to the speedy response of the fire brigade, locals said. Police were also scrambled to the scene, and an investigation is underway into what caused the fire.
Workshop destroyed
The workshop, which trains locals in carpentry and how to use tools, was set up under two years ago after a crowdfunder. A volunteer at the workshop said he was 'devastated' as he inspected the damage.
He said: 'It's devastating. People have put so much effort in and now this. It's heartbreaking. The staff go into the community and teach people skills like how to use a drill etc. Who knows how this happened. We will have to fundraiser again.'
A witness told Metro: 'There were two bangs and then loads of smoke and shooting flames. You could see the fire from across east London. Everyone loves the garden and there was a kind of recycling workshop that there was a crowd funder for. That has gone up in smoke. It's such a shame. There was wood everywhere in the garden, maybe that contributed.'
Residents evacuated
Another witness said: 'I live right next to the fire. I was evacuated. It was really, really scary. The fire was so intense the air was thick with smoke. The firefighters were here very fast. We managed to get back in our flat last night.'
The garden is run for the community, having been created on disused railway land. Sheila Sachs, 72, who lives nearby, told Metro: 'We are heartbroken it's such a lovely place to have a bit of calm and the people who run the workshop are lovely. I hope they can rebuild.'
Cause of fire
The fire service said an initial investigation has revealed that the blaze was started by an electrical fault on a meter.
A fire brigade statement said: 'Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters responded to a fire on Graham Road, Hackney. The fire involved a community garden, where a range of allotments and structures were destroyed by the fire. A shed on the site was also partially damaged. There are no reports of any injuries. The Brigade was first called about the fire at 2238, and crews from Homerton, Bethnal Green and Stoke Newington were sent to the scene. Crews had the fire under control by 2357. The fire is believed to have been accidental, most likely caused by an electrical event in an electricity meter.'
