Summary

  • A fire that engulfed a block of flats in east London overnight is under control and everyone has been accounted for, the London Fire Brigade says

  • A 17-year-old resident fears his family has "lost everything", as he tells the BBC about waking up his dad while the room filled with smoke

  • Firefighters are investigating the cause of the Dagenham blaze; the LFB said earlier the building had known "fire safety issues"

  • Meanwhile, a separate fire in a high-rise block in Blackwall, south-east London, has also been brought under control

Watch: Drone footage shows smoking building and charred out exterior

Live Reporting

Edited by Andrew Humphrey

  1. What do we know about the tower block fire in Dagenham?

    Firemen on an aerial ladder direct a hose onto a Dagenham tower block blackened by a fireEPA

    Earlier today, the London Fire Brigade (LFB) said the blaze had been brought under control and that all residents had been accounted for.

    More than 80 people were evacuated from the building and at least 20 were rescued by firefighters, while two were taken to hospital.

    One resident told the BBC the fire was a "terrifying experience", while another fears he and his family have "lost everything".

    It's not yet known what caused the blaze.

    The building's "non-compliant" cladding was in the process of being removed, according to a Facebook post from a contractor.

    An investigation has begun and questions around the role of cladding will "form part" of the probe, according to the LFB's Assistant Commissioner Patrick Goulbourne.

    We're now closing our live page.

  2. In Pictures: Dagenham fire

    We've been receiving some more photos of the emergency services this morning.

    Fire teams are seen inside a destroyed apartment as they attempt to extinguish a major fire in an apartment block on 26 AugustGetty Images

    Looking at cladding will form part of the investigation, the London Fire Brigade says

    Exposed cladding is seen as fire teams attempt to extinguish a major fire in an apartment blockGetty Images

    The building's "non-compliant" cladding was in the process of being removed, according to a Facebook post from a contractor

    Hoses fill the road as fire teams attempt to extinguish a major fire in an apartment block on August 26Getty Images

    Forty fire engines and 225 firefighters responded to the scene this morning, London Fire Brigade say

  3. What help is being provided?

    We don't yet know where residents of the Dagenham building fire will be housed this evening but here's the help we know is being offered:

    • A team of British Red Cross volunteers are supporting evacuated residents at a nearby rest centre. They say they are offering emotional support and are working alongside partners to support residents for "as long as [they] are needed"
    • Barking and Dagenham Council say they are focusing their resources on the residents impacted and coordinating support, but are no longer accepting donations to the rest centre

  4. Remedial work can potentially 'increase' risk of fire, says housing journalist

    We've just been hearing from Vicky Spratt, housing correspondent at the i paper, who claims carrying out remedial work can potentially increase the risk of fire.

    "We don't know what's happened in Dagenham yet, but if a building has got fire safety issues the risks are higher", she says.

    Spratt adds when a building is having cladding removed or fire safety issues "rectified", the risk of a fire can be "increased because you have more material around the building".

    It's not yet known what caused the fire. The building's "non-compliant" cladding was in the process of being removed, according to a Facebook post from a contractor.

    Spratt described the government's response to the Grenfell fire seven years ago as "sluggish", as there are still buildings having dangerous cladding removed.

  5. Angela Rayner says government ensuring those affected 'being looked after'

    Housing Secretary Angela Rayner says the government is in "close contact with the London Fire Brigade, council and other agencies" to "ensure those affected are being looked after".

    In a post on X, the deputy prime minister adds: "Our thoughts are with all those affected by the fire in Dagenham at this very difficult time."

  6. Loud bang heard from top of building

    Helena Wilkinson
    Reporting from Dagenham, East London

    Top of the Dagenham building that set fire this morning

    We just heard a loud bang before seeing flames shooting out of a window at the top of the building behind some of scaffolding. Thick black smoke is now billowing out from where we can see the flames. Firefighters are at the top of two long ladders and are continuously spraying water at the smoke and flames.

  7. Grenfell group calls on government to speed up building safety

    A Grenfell Tower campaign group says the Dagenham fire highlights "a lack of urgency for building safety" in a statement published on social media.

    It calls the fire a "scenario we have warned about for seven years" after a fire in Grenfell Tower killed seventy-two people in June 2017.

    "The fact that when a fire happens, and the best we can hope for at the moment is 'a near miss', speaks volumes of the progress made," the statement reads.

    The group says the fact that the building had a number of fire safety issues "highlights the painfully slow progress of remediation across the country" and calls on the government to speed up the process.

    London Fire Brigade says it's too early to say whether the building's non-compliant cladding is to blame.

    The final report on the Grenfell Tower Inquiry is due to be released next week.

  8. Blackwall fire 'under control', says fire brigade

    Watch: Fire engulfs apartment building in Canary Wharf

    The fire at the high rise building in Blackwall has now been brought under control, the London Fire Brigade has said.

    The blaze, which was separate from the one in Dagenham, broke out in a flat on the 25th floor of a 45-storey building on Biscayne Avenue.

    Ten fire engines, around 70 firefighters, and two aerial ladders were dispatched and had successfully tackled the fire, the brigade said.

    The incident produced a large about of smoke and local residents are being advised to keep windows and doors closed.

    Traffic is likely to continue to be affected as crews leave the area, the brigade said.

    The cause of the fire is being investigated.

  9. 'Everybody was scared', says resident who escaped fire

    'Everybody was scared' - Dagenham resident who escaped fire

    A resident has described the evacuation of the Dagenham block to the BBC, saying: "The fire was coming. The flicks of the fire. Everybody was scared.”

    You can watch her account, along with those of other people who fled the fire, above.

  10. Timeline: When did the residential fire in east London begin?

    Map graphics showing where building is in east London

    For those of you just joining our live coverage, here's a brief timeline of how the day has unfolded so far since it was reported that a fire broke out in east London:

    • 02:44 BST: The London Fire Brigade (LFB) responded to a fire that climbed through a building in Dagenham and engulfed a block of flats in flames
    • 02:49-02:50: LFB says firefighters were at the scene within five minutes and a second crew arrived within six minutes of the initial call
    • Forty fire engines and 225 firefighters were sent to the scene and around 100 people were evacuated from the building
    • 02:52: The London Ambulance Service received reports of a fire in Dagenham and subsequently sent multiple resources to the scene
    • Four people were treated at the scene, with two of them being taken to hospital, the ambulance service adds
    • 08:30: The LFB declared the fire a major incident and said special arrangements are in place after the whole building was affected
    • In the same update, Assistant Commissioner Patrick Goulbourne confirmed the building had "a number of fire safety issues known to the London Fire Brigade"
    • 12:30: In their latest update, the LFB said the fire had been contained and everyone inside the building had been accounted for

  11. Health secretary sends 'huge thanks' to emergency services

    Health Secretary Wes Streeting has sent his "huge thanks to [the] emergency services for their response to the fire in Dagenham".

    Writing on X, formerly Twitter, he added: "My thoughts are very much with those affected."

  12. Have you been affected by the fires today?

    A picture of a get in touch graphic is shown

    Have you been affected by the fire in east London or Blackwall? Do you have video footage or pictures that you'd like to share with us?

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  13. Watch: Dagenham resident fears family has 'lost everything'

    Emma Pengelly
    BBC News

    One of the residents of the Dagenham flat that caught fire this morning has just shared his harrowing experience with BBC, explaining how he believes he's "lost everything".

    Tariq Ziad, 17, says at about 02:45 BST, he saw an orange light from his apartment window. He looked outside to see and hear the blaze taking hold.

    When he went to wake his dad, who lives with him on the fourth floor, the room quickly began filling with black smoke.

    “One breath of it clenches your lungs, you can’t breathe, it attacks you straight," the 17-year-old says.

    The pair then knocked on neighbours' doors to raise the alarm before rushing downstairs to safety.

    Tariq says he believes some of the fire alarms didn't seem to be working, as he pressed two - "one at the stairs [of the fourth floor] and one at the entrance" - and one made a noise for a slight second, "but there was no siren".

    He commends the fire brigade for their swift action, but fears that most of his home - along with its contents - has been destroyed.

    “It’s a bit of a hectic thing, I'm still trying to let it sink in. We’ve lost everything but it is what it is at the end of the day.”

    Watch the dramatic moment here that Ziad realised his building was ablaze:

    Footage captures moment residents notice Dagenham building fire

  14. Second fire breaks out in Blackwall

    Blackened windows and balcony in tower blockAFP

    Moving away briefly from the blaze in Dagenham, a separate fire has broken out at a tower block in Blackwall, south-east London.

    Footage posted on social media and shared by the London Fire Brigade showed thick smoke billowing from around halfway up the building.

    The brigade said 10 fire engines and around 70 firefighters were attending the fire.

    For more updates on this separate fire, read our news story here.

  15. What we know so far about the Dagenham flat fire

    Not long ago, we were given another update from London Fire Brigade Assistant Commissioner Patrick Goulbourne - who says a full investigation will now begin.

    Here's some of what he said, in case you missed it:

    • The major incident has been stood down, with everyone in the building accounted for
    • More than 80 people were evacuated and at least 20 rescued
    • Four people were treated on scene by ambulance crews, with two taken to hospital
    • Questions around the role of cladding in the fire will "form part" of the investigation into the incident. It's not yet known what caused the fire, but the building's "non-compliant" cladding was in the process of being removed, according to a Facebook post from a contractor

  16. Building still smoking as some crews leave

    Chi Chi Izundu
    Reporting from Dagenham, east London

    A number of fire engines and ambulances have withdrawn from the scene here, as LFB confirm the fire is now under control.

    There is still a large fire crew presence. In either direction hosepipes snake along the building as crews on 32 metre turntable ladders still pelt the building from the roof.

    Thick smoke is still pouring from the building.

  17. Resident living near building heard 'screaming'

    A resident living near the building that caught fire says he heard people "screaming".

    Ahmed, 44, of Kemp Road, told the PA news agency: "When I woke up, I saw the fire engines, the helicopters and obviously the smoke everywhere.

    "People were screaming," he adds.

  18. Mayor thanks those who 'worked tirelessly' to control fire

    London Mayor Sadiq Khan has thanked the firefighters who "worked tirelessly through the night to gain control of the fire" and said he remains in contact with the emergency services.

    "My thoughts are with all those affected by the fire in Dagenham overnight," he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

    "A major incident was declared which has now been stood down.

    "A rest centre has been set up in the area to support residents, and I urge people in the area to follow LFB's advice to keep windows and doors closed, and for people to avoid the area where possible."

  19. Looking at cladding will form part of investigation, says Goulbourne

    The first question to Patrick Goulbourne is over the known fire safety issues.

    It's not yet known what caused the fire, but the building's "non-compliant" cladding was in the process of being removed, according to a Facebook post from a contractor.

    He answers that he doesn't want to "preempt an investigation" and says it is going to require a "very complex investigation", not just to get to the cause, but to understand the spread of the fire.

    It's too early to speculate, he says, but adds looking at cladding will form part of the investigation in the coming days.

  20. London Fire Brigade: More than 80 evacuated, at least 20 rescued

    Assistant Commissioner Goulbourne says more than 80 people were evacuated from the building by firefighters.

    He adds that 20 people were rescued with some given fire escape hoods, which provide 15 minutes of clean air while the person is moved to safety.

    Four people were treated on the scene by the ambulance service, with two of them taken to hospital, he adds.