More than 100 evacuated from east London tower block fire

LONDON: A fire at a high-rise tower block partially occupied by residents of Dagenham, east London, has drawn the attention of more than 200 firefighters.

Since the fire broke out just before three in the morning (0200GMT), at least one hundred people have been evacuated from the residential building and a major incident has been reported.

Four individuals received on-site medical attention, as reported by the London Ambulance Service. They brought two patients to the hospital.

It was Monday afternoon when Assistant Commissioner Patrick Goulbourne announced that they “have now stood down the major incident,” adding that “everyone has been accounted for.”

An emergency service spokesman stated, “We were called at 2.52 a.m. today (26 August) to reports of a fire on Freshwater Road in Dagenham.”

“Our hazardous area response team members, along with ambulance crews, incident response officers, emergency planning officers, and an advanced critical care paramedic, were among the numerous resources dispatched to the scene.”

Only one hour after the fire began, The London Fire Brigade posted on X, “Twenty fire engines and around 125 firefighters are responding to a fire on Freshwater Road in Dagenham.”

“We are advising local residents to keep windows and doors closed,” stated fire station commander Alan Bendell, citing the fire’s “heavy smoke.”

In 2017, a similar fire at London’s Grenfell Tower killed 72 people.