The London Fire Brigade have finally revealed the result of their investigation into the Mall Walthamstow fire.

On July 22 in 2019, more than 100 firefighters spent four hours tackling a serious fire at the shopping centre, which started shortly before 8am.

While there were no injuries, the building was “extensively damaged” and most shops remained closed until early September.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service today, the LFB confirmed their investigation concluded the fire was an accident.

A spokesperson said: “The cause of the fire is accidental and is believed to be due to an electrical fault within an extractor fan.”

At the time, bus driver Gilchrist Thomas, 44, told the Guardian-Series the flames were “like something out of a movie” and that smoke rose 30 feet.

The smoke was even visible in a photo taken from a high-rise in Canary Wharf, almost seven miles away.

Owners Capital & Regional pledged £25,000 towards a crowdfunding drive for affected businesses and staff, with another £10,000 given by Waltham Forest Council.

The centre was finally able to reopen on September 4, although a few stores remained closed where repairs were still ongoing.

The fire came almost a year after The Mall Walthamstow secured planning permission for an 86,000sq ft expansion, adding hundreds of flats to the site.

At the time, campaign group Save Our Square, which opposed the regeneration, feared the damage “could be used to bring forward” the development.

However, in October 2020, Capital & Regional submitted new plans for the site, reducing the number of towers and adding more homes.

The new application was approved at a meeting of the planning committee last night.

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