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24th June 2026
Summer fire safety: helping keep you, your home and your community safe
As the weather gets warmer, Karibu is reminding residents to take extra care to help reduce fire risks in homes, communal areas, balconies and outdoor spaces.
Summer often brings more time outdoors, open windows, barbecues, dry grass, and increased use of e-bikes and e-scooters. These can all create avoidable fire risks if not managed safely.
We are committed to providing safe, well-maintained homes and communal areas. We carry out safety checks, fire risk assessments where required, repairs and maintenance, and we act on identified safety risks. Residents also play an important role by following fire safety advice, keeping shared spaces clear, allowing access for essential safety checks, and reporting concerns as soon as possible.
Know the fire procedure for your building
Every building may have different fire safety arrangements. Some buildings may operate a stay put strategy, while others may have a simultaneous evacuation approach. Residents should be familiar with the fire safety arrangements for their building, including the evacuation plan.
Please make sure you know the fire procedure for your home and building. If you are unsure, contact Karibu for guidance.
If there is a fire inside your home, you should:
- Alert everyone in your home.
- Leave immediately if it is safe to do so.
- Close doors behind you to help slow the spread of fire and smoke.
- Use the stairs, not the lift.
- Call 999 as soon as you are safe.
- Do not stop to collect belongings.
- Do not go back inside until the emergency services say it is safe.
If there is a fire elsewhere in the building:
- Follow the evacuation strategy for your building.
- If your building has a stay put strategy and you are not affected by fire, smoke or heat, stay inside your flat, close windows and doors, call 999 and follow the fire service’s advice.
- If you are affected by fire, smoke or heat, leave if it is safe to do so and call 999.
Keep communal areas and escape routes clear
Communal corridors, stairwells, landings, entrance halls and fire exits must be kept clear at all times. Items left in shared areas can block escape routes, help fire spread, or delay emergency services.
Please do not leave:
- Bikes, e-bikes or e-scooters.
- Pushchairs or mobility equipment unless agreed and safely stored.
- Furniture, mattresses or white goods.
- Rubbish or recycling.
- Plant pots, decorations or doormats where they could obstruct escape routes.
- Any items near fire doors, risers, electrical cupboards or escape routes.
- If you see items blocking a communal area or fire exit, please report this to Karibu as soon as possible.
Fire doors save lives
Fire doors are designed to slow the spread of fire and smoke, helping protect escape routes and giving residents and emergency services more time.
Please:
- Do not wedge fire doors open.
- Do not remove or tamper with self-closing devices.
- Do not damage fire doors, frames, seals or glazing.
- Report damaged fire doors immediately.
- Tell us if a fire door does not close properly.
Smoke alarms and detection
Smoke alarms provide early warning in the event of a fire. Please test your smoke alarms regularly and report any faults straight away.
You should also:
- Never remove batteries from alarms.
- Never cover or disable alarms.
- Contact Karibu if an alarm is missing, damaged or not working.
- Allow access when appointments are arranged for safety checks, repairs or inspections.
Barbecues and balcony safety
Barbecues should never be used on balconies or in enclosed spaces. Flames, sparks and hot embers can cause fires and spread quickly to other parts of a building.
If you are using a barbecue in a suitable outdoor area:
- Keep it on level ground.
- Keep it well away from buildings, fences, sheds, trees, dry grass and anything flammable.
- Never leave it unattended.
- Keep children and pets at a safe distance.
- Do not use accelerants to light it.
- Keep water or sand nearby.
- Make sure ashes are completely cool before disposing of them.
- Disposable barbecues can remain hot for hours and can cause grass fires, particularly during hot, dry weather.
- Balconies should also be kept clear and safe. Please do not store rubbish, cardboard, furniture, fuel containers, gas bottles, batteries or other flammable items on balconies.
Smoking and safe disposal
If you smoke, please take extra care during the summer months, especially when grass, plants and outdoor materials are dry.
Please:
- Fully extinguish cigarettes before disposal.
- Use a proper ashtray.
- Never throw cigarettes from windows, balconies or walkways.
- Never leave smoking materials unattended.
- Do not smoke in communal indoor areas.
E-bikes, e-scooters and lithium-ion battery safety
E-bikes and e-scooters are convenient, but their lithium-ion batteries can pose a serious fire risk if damaged, faulty or charged incorrectly.
To reduce the risk:
- Only use the correct charger supplied or approved by the manufacturer.
- Do not charge batteries overnight or while you are out.
- Do not charge or store e-bikes, e-scooters or batteries in communal corridors, stairwells, escape routes or on balconies.
- Keep batteries away from heat sources and direct sunlight.
- Do not use damaged, swollen, leaking or overheating batteries.
- Buy replacement batteries and chargers only from reputable sellers.
- Register products where possible so you can be contacted about recalls or safety alerts.
- Battery fires can spread very quickly and produce toxic smoke, so safe charging and storage are essential.
If you need help in an emergency
If you, or someone in your household, may need help to leave the building or reach a place of safety in an emergency, please contact Karibu. This could include residents with mobility difficulties, sight or hearing loss, a disability, a long-term health condition, pregnancy, or a temporary injury.
We can discuss what support may be appropriate and help ensure your needs are considered as part of building safety arrangements.
Report fire safety concerns
Please report fire safety concerns as soon as you notice them.
This includes:
- Damaged or missing fire doors.
- Fire doors not closing properly.
- Faulty smoke alarms.
- Blocked corridors, stairwells or exits.
- Rubbish or bulky waste in communal areas.
- Damaged emergency lighting.
- Missing or damaged fire safety signs.
- Unsafe electrical items in shared areas.
- Evidence of smoking or barbecue use in unsafe locations.
- Unsafe charging or storage of e-bikes, e-scooters or batteries.
- Karibu will review reported concerns and take appropriate action.
Fire safety is a shared responsibility
Karibu will continue to carry out required inspections, risk assessments, repairs and safety work to help keep residents safe. Residents can support this by following fire safety advice, keeping escape routes clear, allowing access for essential checks, and reporting issues early.
If you spot a fire safety concern, please contact us immediately on 0208 607 7777 to speak with our housing or repairs team.
In an emergency, always call 999.
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