More than 100 evacuated and two taken to hospital as fire engulfs building

More than 100 people were evacuated and two taken to hospital as a fire engulfed a building in Dagenham, east London, with “known” safety issues.

The London Fire Brigade (LFB) said it is carrying out a “significant search and rescue operation” after being called to the blaze in Freshwater Road at 2.44am on Monday.

Forty-five engines and around 225 firefighters are responding to the blaze that has engulfed the whole mixed-use commercial and residential building, including scaffolding surrounding the property and the roof, the LFB added.

London Fire Commissioner Andy Roe said the LFB has declared a major incident to allow the service to focus its resources on the fire.

He continued: “The building has a number of fire safety issues known to London Fire Brigade.

“A full simultaneous evacuation of the building was immediately carried out and a significant search and rescue operation is under way.”

“The Brigade has stood up full strategic arrangements to deal with the incident and a rest centre has been set up at Beacontree Health and Leisure Centre.

“LFB officers are stationed at the rest centre to support residents,” he added.

A resident living near the building said he heard people “screaming” as the incident unfolded.

Ahmed, 44, of Kemp Road, which is a few hundred yards from the property, told the PA news agency: “When I woke up, I saw the fire engines, the helicopters and obviously the smoke everywhere.

“People were screaming.”

Dinesh Raj, whose six-year-old daughter was having a sleepover with friends in the building when the fire broke out, told the BBC the children are “calm now”, but were “terrified” initially.

Mr Raj said he received a call at around 3am from his friend, who was looking after his daughter, telling him there was a fire in the building.

The father told the BBC he rushed to the scene in his car and that his friend’s family grabbed their six-month-old baby and his daughter and got out as soon as they smelled smoke.

Local MP Margaret Mullane said the fire had resulted in “minimal” injuries because of the swift response of the emergency services.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the Dagenham and Rainham MP wrote: “Terrible scenes in Dagenham this morning as @LondonFire tackle the blaze at Freshwater Rd.

“Thanks to their rapid response injury was minimal. I will be visiting the rescue centre today to see what help and support I can offer the residents and businesses who have lost everything.”

At around 7.30am, the fire service said the blaze was producing heavy smoke and advised local residents to keep windows and doors closed

New drones are being deployed to tackle the blaze, along with 210ft (64m) and 105ft (32m) turntable ladders that are being used as vantage points to assess the scene and to douse the flames with water from above, Mr Roe said.

Crews from Dagenham, Ilford, Romford, Barking and surrounding fire stations are in attendance at the scene, while Freshwater Road remains closed to traffic.

The LFB are urging people to avoid the area where possible.

The cause of the fire is not yet known.

Published: 26/08/2024 by Radio NewsHub