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. Major incident declared

    More now from the statement where Assistant Commissioner Patrick Goulbourne confirms 40 fire engines and 225 firefighters are at the scene.

    He confirms a "major incident" has been declared. This means that special arrangements are being made and one or more of the emergency services are responding.

  2. London Fire Brigade says the 'whole' building is affected

    We're now hearing from the London Fire Brigade, who say they were called at 02:44 BST this morning.

    The "whole" of the building was affected, including scaffolding, Assistant Commissioner Patrick Goulbourne says.

    The first crew arrived within five minutes, the second crew of firefighters arrived within six minutes.

    To allow them to focus on the incident, the spokesman says they have declared a major incident.

  3. London Fire Brigade to give update on Dagenham fire

    In a few minutes, we're going to be hearing from the London Fire Brigade (LFB), who have been tackling the blaze in Dagenham since early this morning.

    You can follow along here for updates from that presser, or press the watch live button at the top of this page at 08:30 BST to stream live.

    Stay with us as we bring you the latest as soon as we have it.

  4. Watch: Smoke billows from Dagenham high-rise building

    We can now bring you some footage from this morning's early hours, when a fire spread across a residential building in Dagenham, east London.

    Now, smoke continues to billow from the building's roof but our reporter on the ground says they haven't seen any flames recently.

  5. Cladding was being replaced on flats, company says

    Work was under way on the fire-hit block of flats to remove the "non-compliant" cladding on it.

    One of the companies involved in the work has 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.

    It's not yet known what caused the fire.

  6. Smoke continues to billow from building's roof

    Simon Jones
    Reporting from Dagenham, east London

    The key priority now for the fire brigade is to make sure everyone is accounted for.

    The firefighting operation is still very much ongoing.

    Two tall ladders are being used to spray water onto the top of the building. Smoke is billowing from the roof, though it’s not quite as thick as it was earlier and we haven’t seen any flames recently.

    Several ambulances are parked in the nearby streets in case they are needed, though fortunately it appears they have not been too busy.

  7. In pictures: London Fire Brigade tackles fire in block of flats

    The London Fire Brigade (LFB) has been tackling a fire in a block of flats in east London since the early hours of this morning.

    The brigade says around 225 firefighters were deployed to the scene. Here are some pictures from the scene:

    Fire in Dagenham block of flats earlier in the eveningUK News in Pictures

    During Monday's early hours firefighters worked to tackle the blaze in Dagenham, east London

    London Fire Brigade tackling blaze in Dagenham, east LondonLondon Fire Brigade
    London Fire Brigade tackling blaze in Dagenham, east LondonLondon Fire Brigade

  8. What do we know so far?

    • Two people have been taken to hospital and more than 100 residents evacuated after a fire in a building partly used as a block of flats in east London
    • Scaffolding surrounding the building in Freshwater Road, Dagenham, was alight, as well as parts of the building up to the sixth floor
    • 225 firefighters and 40 engines have been tackling the blaze, after the alarm was raised at 02:44 this morning
    • Firefighters are still on the scene working to bring the fire under control
    • The cause of the fire is not yet known
    • A major incident has been declared. London Fire Commissioner Andy Roe has said this is to "allow us to focus our resources on the incident"
    • "The building has a number of fire safety issues known to London Fire Brigade," according to Cmdr Roe

  9. More than 100 people evacuated after fire in London flats

    More than 100 people have been evacuated from a partly residential block of flats in east London after a fire engulfed the building.

    At least two other people have been taken to hospital.

    London Fire Brigade (LFB) says they were called at 02:44 BST, when scaffolding surrounding the building in Freshwater Road, Dagenham, was alight, as well as parts of the building up to the sixth floor and the roof.

    Around 225 firefighters were sent to the scene to tackle the blaze, according to the LFB.

    Stay with us as we bring you the latest updates on this developing story.