Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters were called to a fire at a flat on High Road in Chadwell Heath.
Part of a three-roomed flat on the first floor of an eleven-storey block was damaged by the fire. Eight people left the building before the Brigade arrived. Five women and three children were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation by London Ambulance Service crews.
The Brigade was called at 1041 and the fire was under control by 1139. Fire crews from Dagenham, Wennington and Hainault fire stations attended the scene.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.