Nine people were rescued by firefighters after a fire in Oakland Park Avenue, Ilford in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The fire started in a workshop and officers under construction at the rear of a row of shops with flats above. The building under construction and two vehicles were gutted by the blaze. Shops and flats adjacent sustained some external damage.
A total of eight adults and one child were rescued from the adjacent first floor flats via a nine metre ladder. There were no reports of any injuries.
The Brigade was called at 0337 and the fire was under control at 0534. Fire crews from Ilford, Barking, Stratford and Dagenham fire stations attended the scene.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Brigade and the Metropolitan Police Service.