Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters tackled a fire at a shop with flats above on Vallance Road in Bethnal Green.
Around five tonnes of rubbish at the rear of the property was alight. A small part of a single-storey extension was damaged by fire. Two men were assessed on scene by London Ambulance Service crews.
The Brigade was called at 0227 and the fire was under control by 0423. Fire crews from Whitechapel, Shadwell, Shoreditch and Bethnal Green fire stations attended the scene.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.