Six fire engines and around 40 firefighters were called to a fire at a flat above a shop in Eastern Avenue, Ilford.
Half of a four-roomed flat on the first floor was damaged by the fire. Two people left the property before the Brigade arrived. One woman was treated on the scene for smoke inhalation by London Ambulance Service and taken to hospital.
Sadly a cat was found dead in the flat.
The Brigade’s 999 Control Officers took 25 calls to the fire.
The Brigade was called at 1836 and the fire was under control at 2004. Fire crews from Ilford, Woodford and Leytonstone fire stations attended the scene.
The fire has been recorded as accidental and is believed to have been caused by an electrical fault in a washing machine.