Cigarette blamed for woodland blaze in Feltham

Firefighters were forced to remove explosive gas cylinders from a woodland blaze behind a Feltham freight depot last night, in an incident the London Fire Brigade believes was caused by a carelessly discarded cigarette.

Around 25 firefighters were called to the scene at 23:26 on Monday night as a fire tore through a section of woodland at the rear of a local depot. An area slightly larger than a basketball court was completely destroyed by the flames.

During the operation, crews from Feltham and Heston stations discovered two 15kg gas cylinders within the fire zone. Firefighters worked to safely remove and cool the canisters to an ‘ambient temperature’ to prevent a potential explosion.

A London Fire Brigade spokesperson confirmed the fire was brought under control by 00:39 and attributed the cause to the accidental but ‘careless disposal of smoking materials’.

The Brigade is now reminding residents to ensure all cigarettes are fully extinguished and disposed of in proper bins, particularly when near dry foliage or woodland areas.

This article was published by the London Fire Brigade on 24/02/2026 and can be viewed at https://www.london-fire.gov.uk/incidents/2026/february/fire-in-woodland-feltham/