Major Fire Ablaze In East London's Residential Tower; Hundreds Of Firefighters At Rescue

London: More than 200 firefighters are currently tackling a horror blaze in East London after huge flames tore through the building, forcing more than 100 people to flee from their homes.

Four patients were treated at the scene, and two were taken to hospital, as 225 firefighters and forty fire engines battled to put the devastating fire out. The London Fire Brigade (LFB) was called to the devastating inferno on Freshwater Road in Dagenham at 2:44 am on Monday.

The huge blaze has prompted a major incident to be declared by London Fire Brigade, as crews from Dagenham, Ilford, Romford, Barking, and surrounding fire stations are at the scene.

A "significant search and rescue operation" is under way.The brigade said parts of the scaffolding surrounding the building, as well as the ground floor and the roof, were alight.

Assistant Commissioner Patrick Goulbourne says the cause of the fire is currently unknown but a "full" investigation will take place in due course. Residents are being asked to keep their windows and doors shut as the fire is producing "heavy smoke." The LFB is describing the property as a "mixed-used residential and commercial building". The cause of the fire remains unknown, however, London Fire Brigade said the building was known to have "a number of fire safety issues".

Firefighters are battling to put the fire out

London Fire Commissioner Andy Roe said: “We were called to the incident at 0244 this morning. The first crew arrived within five minutes and the second crew arrived within six minutes. An aerial appliance also arrived in under six minutes. To allow us to focus our resources on the incident, we have declared a major incident.

"The building has a number of fire safety issues known to London Fire Brigade. A full simultaneous evacuation of the building was immediately carried out and a significant search and rescue operation is underway.

“The Brigade’s Control Officers have taken 16 calls to the fire, including successfully giving vital fire survival guidance to a number of people using our Fire Survival Guidance App, which allows information to be exchanged between Control and the incident ground in a timely, accurate and consistent manner.

“We are also using new equipment such as drones and our 64-metre turntable ladders and 32-metre turntable ladders to provide incident commanders with a vantage point for assessing the scene. They are also being used as water towers to deliver water on to the fire from above.

“The Brigade has stood up full strategic arrangements to deal with the incident and a rest centre has been set up at Beacontree Health and Leisure Centre. LFB officers are stationed at the rest centre to support residents.”

"Two of the Brigade's 32-metre turntable ladders are being used at the scene as aerial water towers to assist with tackling the fire from height. Freshwater Road is closed to traffic, so please avoid the area where possible."

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson confirmed they sent a "large number of resources" to the site following the blaze.

"We were called at 2:52 am to reports of a fire on Freshwater Road in Dagenham", it said. "We sent a large number of resources to the scene, including ambulance crews, incident response officers, an advanced paramedic in critical care, emergency planning officers, a command support vehicle and members of our hazardous area response team (HART). We also dispatched London's Air Ambulance."

A man, Dinesh Raj, whose 6-year-old daughter was having a sleepover in the building, said he got a call at around 3am to say a fire had broken out as he rushed to the scene.

Dinesh Raj told Sky News, "I managed to take my daughter and my friends to my home. They're all safe. I think they started smelling smoke around 3am, and learned there was a fire. They had a six-month baby as well, so they managed to grab the baby and my daughter and get out the building.

"I think the majority [of residents] managed to step out before the fire started spreading. But everything they have is back in the building and we have no clue what happened."

According to a Met Police statement published on X, police officers remain at the scene. "Officers remain at the scene of this significant fire, supporting London Fire Brigade and working to keep local residents safe and supported."

The response has been one of the largest in recent memory, with 225 firefighters deployed to tackle the flames. Their efforts have focused on preventing the fire from spreading to nearby structures, as well as ensuring the safety of evacuated residents.