Residents living in flats above a restaurant on High Street North in East Ham had a lucky escape after a fire broke out in the business below them during the early hours of this morning.
No smoke alarms sounded to raise the alarm. Fortunately two men inside the property smelt smoke and escaped before the Brigade arrived. No other injuries are reported.
Most of the second floor and part of the first floor and roof were damaged by fire. The staircase from the ground floor to the second floor was also completely destroyed in the blaze.
Watch Manager Leon Back was at the scene, he said: “Crews worked extremely quickly in arduous conditions to contain this fire and stop it spreading to adjacent properties.
“If the occupants of the flat hadn’t discovered the fire when they did, this fire could have had a very different outcome.
“Homes need multiple smoke alarms or you won’t be properly covered. Ideal spots for smoke alarms include rooms where you leave electrical equipment running like satellite boxes, computers or heaters; any room where you smoke, and anywhere you charge your mobile or laptop.”
Six fire engines and 35 firefighters and officers from East Ham, Plaistow, Stratford, Barking and Ilford fire stations attended the incident. The Brigade was called at 0036 and the fire was under control at 0250.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Brigade's Fire Investigation Unit and the Metropolitan Police.