Dagenham fire latest: Two in hospital as burning block of flats evacuated and 200 firefighters battle blaze

Residents in Dagenham have been urged to keep their windows closed to avoid smoke.

Station Commander Alan Bendell, who is at the scene of the fire, said: “The fire is producing heavy smoke and we’re advising local residents to keep windows and doors closed.

“Two of the Brigade’s 32-metre turntable ladders are being used at the scene as aerial water towers to assist with tackling the fire from height.

“Freshwater Road is closed to traffic, so please avoid the area where possible.”

An investigation into the cause of the fire which ripped through a tower block in Dagenham will take place soon, the London Fire Brigade said.

Work was under way on the fire-hit block of flats to remove the “non-compliant” cladding on it, according to a company involved in the work.

The company recently posted on Facebook to say that the work on the east London building was focusing on its fifth and sixth floors.

It is for this reason that the building was covered in scaffolding, the post says. In May 2023, a planning application was filed for remedial work to external cladding on the fifth and sixth floors of the building.

The London Fire Brigade said the cause of the fire is still unknown.

Two people have been rushed to hospital and four were treated at the scene as a fire ripped through a tower block in east London.

Fire and ambulance crews were called to Freshwater Road in Dagenham at around 3am on Monday to reports of a fire.

The London Fire Brigade said the cause of the fire was unknown but a number of fire safety issues were known to the brigade.

This is the moment hundreds of firefighters rushed to tackle a blaze that engulfed a tower block in Dagenham, east London, in the early hours of Monday morning.

The London Fire Brigade said the cause of the fire was unknown but a number of fire safety issues were known to the brigade – and a search and rescue operation was underway.

The London Ambulance Service added that two people were rushed to hospital and four were treated at the scene.

A major incident has been declared by the London Fire Brigade and a search and rescue operation is underway after a fire ripped through the Dagenham tower block.

The London Fire Brigade said the cause of the fire was unknown but a number of fire safety issues were known to the brigade.

It is understood that work was under way on the fire-hit block of flats to remove the “non-compliant” cladding on it.

Two people were rushed to hospital after hundreds were evacuated from a burning block of flats in east London early this morning.

Footage showed the inferno engulfing the roof of the building on Freshwater Road, Dagenham, as around 225 firefightersand 40 fire engines rushed to tackle the blaze.

The London Fire Brigade (LFB) said it was called at 2.44am on Monday with crews from Dagenham, Ilford, Romford, Barking and other fire stations arriving at the scene.