Lithium battery caused tower block blaze, says LFB

The balcony was alight when firefighters arrived on the scene

A fire that led to about 30 people being evacuated from a residential tower block in east London was caused by the failure of a lithium battery, London Fire Brigade (LFB) said.

The balcony and interior of a flat on the tenth floor of the 15-floor block on Queens Road West, Plaistow, were alight when firefighters arrived after being alerted at about 08:00 BST by multiple calls to the emergency services.

The blaze was brought under control by crews using a crane to reach the flames and douse them out.

London Ambulance Service also said it treated two patients - one was taken to hospital as a priority and other was released at the scene.

The fire was brought under control by firefighters using a crane

The LFB has said its investigation team believe the fire was started accidentally, caused by the failure of a lithium battery. They also said three people left the building before they arrived on the scene.

Firefighters from East Ham, Plaistow, Stratford and surrounding fire stations were at the scene.

The brigade has said on X (formerly Twitter) that although the fire was now under control, traffic in the area would be impacted as crews remain on scene.