Four fire engines and 21 firefighters and officers were called to a fire in a maisonette on St Pauls Way in Mile End this morning.
The fire damaged around half of the maisonette on the third and fourth floors and sadly a woman was pronounced dead at the scene.
Crews wearing breathing apparatus rescued a man from a fourth floor bedroom via an internal staircase and he was taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service. Two adults who left the maisonette before the Brigade arrived were also taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service. A further 50 people left other flats and maisonettes above the row of shops before the Brigade arrived.
The Brigade was called at 0545 and the fire was under control at 0704. Crews from Shadwell, Bethnal Green, Whitechapel and Millwall fire stations attended the incident. The cause of the fire is under investigation.