Six fire engines and around forty firefighters attended a fire at a disused pub on High Road in Chadwell Heath.
Most of the two-storey building was destroyed by the fire. There were no reported injuries.
A bus driver, who was driving on the road at the time, informed Transport for London (TfL) that the building was on fire. Then TfL alerted the Brigade.
Firefighters saw large amounts of smoke on the road as they arrived. Crews worked for several hours to extinguish the blaze, which had quickly spread from a corner of the roof to the rest of the building. Firefighters used drones to help them gain a better view of the fire.
The Brigade’s Fire Investigation team were unable to determine the cause of the blaze because of the severity of the damage caused by the fire.
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said:
“Always call 999 first if you see a fire or an emergency situation – so that we can get to it quickly and save lives. Alert other authorities or property owners afterwards.”
The Brigade was called at 0447 and the fire was under control by 0717. Fire crews from Dagenham, Ilford, Romford, Hainault, Barking and East Ham fire stations attended the scene.