A fire broke out during a party at Liam Payne's apartment this week, sending three of the One Direction singer's friends to the hospital. The 20-year-old British singer was hosting a gathering on his balcony when an outdoor heater erupted in flames at his Canary Wharf, East London home on Monday, Sept. 2.
East London firefighters confirmed the incident to the U.K.'s The Mirror. "Firefighters worked quickly and professional to get the fire under control as quickly as possible. About 30 people left the building before we arrived and were not injured," Station Manager Laurie Kenny told The Mirror. "Two of the occupants had superficial burns to their hands and the third had burns to his hands and face. All three have been taken to the hospital." It reportedly took 35 firefighters to put the fire out, which destroyed approximately 80 percent of Payne's balcony.
A source tells Us Weekly that the fire broke out between 9:30 and 10:00 p.m. "One of Liam's male friends tried to change the gas canister of the heater, but it somehow went wrong and he ended up catching fire," the insider says. "The fire quickly spread all over the terrace and even into the living room of his flat."
Payne's girlfriend, Sophia Smith, was reportedly at the party and the source tells Us she rode with the singer to the hospital with his friends. The Mirror has identified Andy Samuels as Payne's friend who sustained the most severe injuries, and One Direction fans made #Prayforandy a trend on Twitter. His girlfriend reportedly tweeted Tuesday, "Thank you so much for all of your lovely messages & payers. On behalf of Andy's family & I we'd like you to know he is in a stable condition."