A large fire has ripped through two flats in east London, with the public being advised to avoid the area.
Around 100 firefighters and 15 fire engines were sent to the blaze at a tower block on Leman Street in Aldgate, where a six-floor flat caught fire and spread into the flat above, the London Fire Brigade said.
Eleven people were led to safety by the LFB but there are currently no reports of any injuries.
Footage of the fire shows large flames appearing to spread up the building and tearing through several balconies.
@BBCLondonNews Huge Fire @ Goodmans Field - Behind Amazon Fresh, Leman Street London, E1 pic.twitter.com/tmc1JIt9Ko
— Sameer (@samcrazyguy) April 20, 2025
Large clouds of dark smoke could be seen rising from the building before firefighters were spotted inside the building examining the wrecked flats.
Khaja Naseer, 44, who filmed the blaze from his window, said he was not sure if anyone was hurt, but that the blaze was contained by 8pm.
Mr Naseer told the Standard that his children were playing on the sofa when the family saw smoke coming from the building opposite their home and were alerted to the fire.
The fire began shortly before 5.45pm on Sunday and quickly spread to a second flat on the seventh floor, the LFB added.
Firefighters used a 64-metre turntable ladder as an observation tower to provide a vantage point to assess the fire.
Borough Commander Lucy Macleod, who was at the scene, said: "Crews acted swiftly to bring the fire under control, but will remain on site this evening to damp down remaining hotspots.
“Road closures are currently in place, and there is significant congestion in the surrounding area. We urge the public to avoid the vicinity where possible while we continue to work to make the scene safe...
“We’re working closely with our partners to ensure support is available for residents affected by the incident.”
The Brigade's 999 Control Officers took the first of 15 calls to the fire at 5.43pm and mobilised crews from Whitechapel, Shadwell, Shoreditch, Dowgate, Bethnal Green and surrounding fire stations to the scene.
The cause of the fire is not known at this time.
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson added: “We were called at 6.28pm today (Sunday 20 April) to reports of a fire in Leman Street, E1.
“We sent resources to the scene, including members of our Hazardous Area Response Team (HART), members of our Tactical Response Unit and an incident response officer.
“Our crews assisted our emergency services partners at the scene, but were later stood down when it was determined there were no patients for us to treat.”
