Eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters tackled a fire in a house converted into flats on Glenarm Road in Hackney.
Fire crews wearing breathing apparatus rescued a man from the first floor. There were no reports of any injuries.
A second-floor flat and the staircase between the first and second floor were destroyed by fire. Part of the roof was also damaged by the blaze.
The Brigade was called at 1833 and the fire was under control by 2023. Firefighters from Stoke Newington, Bethnal Green, Homerton and Leyton fire stations were at the scene.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Brigade and the Metropolitan Police Service.