London firefighters outside of Simply Kids Child Care on Jim Ashton St., October 24, 2023. Photo courtesy of the London Fire DepartmentLondon firefighters outside of Simply Kids Child Care on Jim Ashton St., October 24, 2023. Photo courtesy of the London Fire Department.
London

East London daycare temporarily closed due to fire

An early morning fire prevented an east London daycare from opening its doors on Tuesday.

Firefighters were called to Simply Kids Child Care at 30 Jim Ashton St. just south of Oxford Street East around 6 a.m.

When crews arrived they found a fire in the mechanical room of the daycare. It was quickly extinguished, but not before it caused heavy smoke damage.

While staff were in the building at the time of the fire, no children were present.

No injuries were reported, the London Fire Department confirmed.

Damage is estimated at $200,000.

Fire officials are working to determine the cause of the blaze.

As a result of the fire, the daycare is expected to be closed for the next few days while repairs and restoration take place.

"We regret to inform you that Simply Kids will be closed today [Tuesday] due to unforeseen circumstances. We are having electrical issues and can not run without power to our building," the administrative team said in a post on the daycare's Facebook page.

They went on to apologize for any inconvenience the closure has caused parents, adding that they hope to be up and running as "soon as possible."

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