Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters were called to a rubbish fire outside a block of flats on William Morley Close in East Ham.
Half a tonne of rubbish including a settee was destroyed by the blaze. The fire also caused smoke logging and heat damage to an adjacent ground floor external door.
Thirty people left the building before the Brigade arrived. No injuries are reported.
The Brigade was called 2148 and was under control by 2241. Fire crews from East Ham, Stratford, Barking and Ilford fire stations were in attendance.
The cause of the fire is believed to be accidental and due to the unsafe disposal of smoking materials.