London, Thanasis Gavos

A fire broke out shortly after 3am in a high-rise building in Dagenham, east London.

225 firefighters rushed to the scene with 40 vehicles who managed to control the fire early in the morning, which as stated by a representative of the London Fire Service affected the entire building.

Flames were visible on the roof and on the lower floors, but also on scaffolding that has been erected around the perimeter of the building. The fire department is asking the public to avoid the area as smoke is still coming from the building.

More than a hundred tenants were evacuated from the apartment building, of mixed residential and commercial use. Four of them required first aid and two were hospitalized.

The cause of the fire is currently unknown, with residents of the area suspecting that it started in an apartment under renovation. It is believed that the exterior cladding of the building was being replaced.

London Fire Brigade chief Andy Rowe said the first call to the blaze was received at 2.44am and that first responders arrived within five minutes.

He noted that the building had a number of known fire safety issues. He added that an evacuation operation was immediately carried out, but also that all the apartments and shops were searched again in the morning for any trapped people.

Among other things, a fire department drone was used to better guide the firefighters.