The cause of a fire on London‘s ‘Billionaires Row’ that nearly completely destroyed a £18million mansion remains a mystery as the building was too badly damaged, investigators have said.
A blaze ripped through disused house Oak Lodge, thought to have been empty for 30 years, on The Bishops Avenue in Hampstead, considered to be one of the capital’s most luxurious roads – destroying the roof as well as the first and ground floors.
Six fire engines and around 40 firefighters were called at 3.45am last Monday morning and took just over two hours to get the flames under control.
It is thought the house was empty at the time on June 6 and no injuries were reported.
In the aftermath of the inferno, gas engineers were seen at the site investigating the cause of the fire and digging a trench outside the entrance.
London Fire Brigade experts also probed the scene, but the building was too badly damaged to determine the cause, it has emerged.
A spokeswoman for the brigade confirmed the investigation is now closed.
She added: ‘The cause of the fire has been recorded as undetermined due to the level of damage to the building.
‘It was too badly damaged for our fire investigators to be able to determine what started it.’
The cause of a fire at an £18m mansion Oak Lodge on London’s ‘Billionaires Row’ (pictured before the fire) in Hampstead remains a mystery as the building was too badly damaged, investigators have said
A blaze ripped through disused house Oak Lodge, thought to have been empty for 30 years, on The Bishops Avenue in Hampstead, considered to be one of the capital’s most luxurious roads – destroying the roof as well as the first and ground floors. Pictured last Monday
Bishops Avenue has at least 66 mansions along its mile-long tree-lined street and is home to some of the world’s richest people.
Oak Lodge was the subject of a planning dispute in 2018 when developers wanted to knock it down and build a huge 18-apartment Beverly Hills-style block for the mega-rich.
It was sold in the same year for £18million to a different holding company 54 Bishops Avenue Limited, under architectural firm Pilbrow and Partners, with Bahraini businessman Mohammed Mahdi al Tajir listed as director.
Two years later, fresh plans for the site were approved by Barnet Council that would see the listed building, which dates back to 1927, renovated and split into two homes instead of being knocked down.
This planning permission included a total of 30 individual new homes on the site that was approved on 28 February 2020.
Six fire engines and around 40 firefighters were called at 3.45am last Monday morning and took just over two hours to get the flames under control. It is thought the house was empty
In the aftermath of the inferno, gas engineers were seen at the site investigating the cause of the fire and digging a trench outside the entrance
Along with the two at Oak Lodge, seven units in a three-storey block, 12 in a five-storey building and nine in a four-storey block were approved to be built on the plot of land.
Once the area has been landscaped, the luxury development will also include leisure facilities with a one-storey pavilion in the central courtyard, planning documents revealed.
To date there appears to be no building work being carried out at the site.
A security guard in a neighbouring house to Oak Lodge, described in the aftermath of the blaze as he saw gas workers investigating the area.
The man, who wished only to be known as Dimi, said: ‘I think it was a gas leak but I don’t know.
‘My colleague was on the night shift and he said the fire happened around 4am.
‘The fire brigade came really fast and they have been here until now.’
. London Fire Brigade experts also probed the scene, but the building was too badly damaged to determine the cause, it has since emerged
Several gas technicians were seen working alongside the fire brigade, who were using a small drone to view the burnt house from above.
Gas workers were also seen digging outside the entrance to the site on land between the road and the pavement.
When asked who owns the house, Dimi said: ‘You never know who is the owner, maybe some sheikh or Russian billionaire, who knows?’
Only the wreckage of the tiled roof could be seen through the line of trees running between the house and the street.
Through the open door of some construction-site hoarding the garden was overgrown with large bushes reaching head height.
A rotten wooden fence about waist height sat on the street side of the hoarding.
Another security guard working at a nearby property said squatters have been seen in the house, as it has been lying empty for many years.
He added: ‘The police have been driving up and down here asking people if they’ve seen anyone on the road late last night.
‘There used to be squatters in that house 10 to 12 years ago. They never caused any problems though.
Several gas technicians were seen working alongside the fire brigade, who were using a small drone to view the burnt house from above
‘But then kids started coming in and causing damage and the police would come round.
‘There are a lot of houses round here empty. I’ve been here 20 years and I’ve never seen a fire.
‘Maybe someone lit a candle or something, who knows, it’s hard to imagine someone chugging a thing of petrol along with them.’
Billionaire Richard Desmond, former owner of Express Newspapers and founder of Northern & Shell which publishes OK! magazine, also owned a mansion on the street.
However, many of the luxury homes on the street have been uninhabited since they were purchased in the 1980s.
An investigation by the Guardian in 2014 found that the row of mansions are collectively worth around £350million.
The Saudi royal family reportedly sold 10 properties along the street for £73million, while the Sultan of Brunei is thought to own at least one house in the famous road.
Paul McCartney’s ex-wife Heather Mills lived in an apartment in one of the houses, as did Chinese government officials.
Canadian pop-star Justin Bieber once rented one of the biggest mansions in the street for $140,000 (£114,800) a month when he toured the UK in 2016 – just across from the derelict house that caught fire last week.