A grey winged arsonist has been identified as the culprit behind a house fire in Stockwell, London.
Fire officials have said that after picking up a smouldering cigarette butt the bird took to the air, and dropped it into a birds nest on top of a building.
London Fire officials hold a pigeon responsible for the blaze
Neighbours later reported they had previously seen a bird flying in and out of a hole in the roof of the building.
The fire started late on Wednesday evening, at around 10pm, and after smelling smoke, residents of the council owned housing quickly evacuated the building. It was left to four fire engines and 21 fire fighters to tackle the blaze.
Firefighters initially struggled to find the cause for the fire
Ellen Monger, 60, grandmother of eight year-old Dylan Dixson, said she feared something was wrong when she smelt smoke in her house. She dashed to Dylan's room to fetch him, and left the building immediately.
'I didn't stop for one second - my friend from across the way was there screaming "fire."
'It was scary, I've never experienced anything like it" said Ms Monger.
Luckily there were no casualties, although some damage was done to the roof of Ms Monger's House.
The fire destroyed a large part of the roof of Ms Monger's home
'The incident is a great example of why it’s important to put your cigarettes out fully - you never know what might become of your smouldering butts,' said London Fire Brigade investigations officer Matt Cullen.
If cigarette buts are not completely extinguished they can pose a serious fire hazard
However this certainly isn’t the most unusual cause for a fire which the London Fire Brigade have had to deal with; dogs turning on toasters, men using their boxers to polish the floor, and people microwaving toilet rolls, join the lists of most crazy house fire causes.