Firefighters were called to reports of a suspected gas explosion at a commercial property in Farnham Road, Harold Hill, this afternoon.
Part of the ground floor of a four-storey building was damaged. There were no reports of any injuries.
Firefighters swept the area to check for any elevated gas readings but found none. As a precaution a 25m cordon was set up and around 100 people were evacuated from nearby properties.
Two fire engines and a fire and rescue unit from fire stations including Harold Hill and Romford attended the scene.
The Brigade was called at 1329 and the incident was over for us at 1552.
The cause is under investigation.