Ten fire engines and 72 firefighters and officers tackled a flat fire on Turin Street in Bethnal Green this afternoon.
The whole of a flat on the third floor was gutted by fire and the roof was also destroyed. The Brigade's 999 control centre took nearly 50 calls.
A man left the building before the Brigade arrived. He was suffering from smoke inhalation and was taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service crews. Around 40 residents left the block before the Brigade arrived.
The cause of the fire is believed to be the unsafe disposal of a cigarette.
The Brigade was called at 1625 and the fire was under control by 1930.
Firefighters from Bethnal Green, Shadwell, Dowgate, Homerton, Shoreditch, Dockhead, Soho and Whitechapel fire stations attended the scene. The cause of the fire is under investigation.