Fifteen fire engines and around 100 firefighters attended a fire at a range of shops on Green Street in Forest Gate.
Firefighters were initially called to a fire at a mid-terraced shop with a flat above. The fire spread into three neighbouring shops and into four of the flats above them. The ground floor of one shop was partly damaged and two flats were also partly damaged. Two further shops and two flats were severely damaged by the fire.
Around 26 people left the residential properties before the Brigade arrived and one man was been treated by firefighters at the scene for smoke inhalation.
A spokesperson for London Fire Brigade said: "The fire spread through several old shop premises and was difficult to gain control of due to it spreading in different ways. A range of equipment has been used to tackle the fire, our crews have used breathing apparatus to carry out searches of all of the premises and we are used our aerial appliances to observe from above. We also used our drone to gain a better view of the fire."
Firefighters will remain at the scene throughout the night and next day to dampen down the area. There are road closures in place between Westbury Terrace and Studley Road, however, busses are able to pass through.
The Brigade was called at 2224 and the fire was under control at 0325. Fire crews from Stratford, Leytonstone, Plaistow, East Ham, Ilford, Barking, Dagenham, Walthamstow, Millwall, Homerton, Stoke Newington, Whitechapel and Leyton fire stations attended the scene.
The cause of the fire will be investigated by the Brigade and the Metropolitan Police Service.