Two people have been rushed to hospital after being pulled from a window by firefighters following a massive gas explosion on a residential street in London.
Shocking footage shows the moment a terraced house goes up in flames in Ley Street in Ilford at around 4.10pm yesterday.
At the height of the incident the first floor and loft conversion were fully alight with eight fire engines and 60 firefighters tackling the blaze, London Fire Brigade said
Three people were treated at the scene by paramedics with two being rescued from a first floor window by firefighters using a ladder and were taken to hospital. Their conditions are currently not known.
Five further people left neighbouring properties before the the fire service arrived.
Following the explosion, the roof of the building was destroyed and the rest of the building was significantly damaged, the fire service added.
The ground floor, first floor and loft conversion of the house were destroyed by the fire, while two neighbouring properties are being assessed for structural damage.
Fire crews will remain on the scene throughout the evening with the cause of the explosion under investigation.
Sixty firefighters battled a house fire after a massive explosion in Ley Street in Ilford
Shocking footage shows the moment a terraced house goes up in flames at around 4.10pm yesterday
At the height of the blaze the first floor and loft conversion were fully alight, London Fire Brigade said
A 32-metre ladder was used to fight the fire from above while a drone was deployed to give firefighters an aerial view of the house.
Glass, bricks and other bits of debris from the building were blasted across the road and onto parked cars outside the house.
Residents are continuing to be told to avoid the area with the road being closed while the incident is being investigated.
Redbridge Council said the road will be closed in both directions until at least 11am tomorrow.
A council statement said: ‘Thank you for your co-operation in allowing blue lights to do their work. Council services are supporting those directly affected by tonight’s incident.’
Station Commander Darren McTernan said: ‘Firefighters worked hard to bring this fire under control. Crews will remain on scene throughout the evening.
‘Ley Street remains closed between Eastern Avenue and Vicarage Road, impacting traffic in the surrounding area, so please continue to avoid the area if you can.
‘One of the Brigade’s 32-metre turntable ladders was used at the scene as a water tower to help fight the fire from above.
MAPPED: This is where the house explosion too place with emergency services rushing to the scene at around 4.10pm
Three people were treated at the scene by paramedics with two being taken to hospital
Two people were rescued from a first floor window by firefighters
The explosion blew the roof off the two-storey house and sent shattered glass and bricks across the busy street
‘The Brigade’s drone team were also deployed to the incident, offering the Incident Commander an aerial view of the scene.’
A Met Police spokesperson said: ‘Police were called at 4.08pm on December 10 to reports of a fire at a residential property in Ley Street, Ilford.
‘We have attended alongside the London Fire Brigade and London Ambulance Service.
‘We remain at the scene and cordons are in place.’
A London Ambulance Service spokesman said: ‘We sent resources including ambulance crews, an advanced paramedic practitioner, an incident response officer and members of our hazardous area response team (HART).
‘We treated three people. We took two to hospital and discharged a third at the scene.’
Earlier, taking to X (formerly Twitter) Jas Athwal, MP for Ilford South, wrote: ‘Please be aware there is an ongoing fire in a residential property on Ley Street in Ilford.
‘London Fire Brigade & Redbridge Borough Police are on the scene. People are advised to stay away from the area while the emergency services attend.’
The damaged caused by the house fire pictured from above
A 32-metre ladder was used to fight the fire from above while a drone was deployed to give firefighters an aerial view of the house.
Redbridge Council said the road will be closed in both directions until at least 11am tomorrow
London Fire Brigade say that part of the house’s loft conversion remains alight as a 32-metre ladder is being used to fight the fire from above
Around sixty firefighters battled the house fire after the massive explosion on the residential street
Two neighbouring properties are being assessed for structural damage
Emergency services rushed to the house fire at around 4.10pm
Councillor Khayer Chowdhury, cabinet member for enforcement and community safety on Redbridge Council, said: ‘Praying nobody has been hurt in this and also thanking our brave firefighters.
‘Please avoid driving into the Ley Street area and allow emergency services to do their jobs.’
He added: ‘We’re standby to provide support to London Fire Brigade with the clear up operation’.
‘We’re also on standby to support residents who have been directly affected by this incident and will be liaising with our Fire Brigade & Redbridge Borough Police partners.’