Two people were lucky to escape unharmed after fire broke out in a building that did not have a smoke alarm.

A first floor flat, above a cafe on Green Lanes, in Hornsey, was damaged but nobody was injured.

However, Watch Manager Sami Goldbrom said the building had no fire alarms and it had been a lucky escape for the people living above the blaze.

She said: “The building did not have any smoke alarms and two people living in the flat above did not know a fire had broken out. Having a working smoke alarm is essential. Every home should have at least one.

“Smoke alarms provide vital early warning and buy you extra time to escape if there is a fire and help raise the alarm.”

The cause of the fire is under investigation but its believed to have been started by careless disposal of a cigarette.