Four people fled a block of flats when a blaze erupted on a landing yesterday.

They left the five-story building in Hurlock Street, Highbury, before fire crews reached the scene.

Four fire engines and around 20 firefighters arrived to tackle the blaze, which started around 7.30pm, and had it under control in an hour.

A firefighter from Holloway fire station said: “It was just a load of rubbish in the hallway that caught alight. There wasn’t a great deal of damage and no-one was hurt.”

The second-floor landing was fire damaged but the blaze did not spread. The cause is under investigation.