Six fire engines and around 40 firefighters were called to a fire in the basement of a terraced house on Colworth Road in Leytonstone.

Part of a basement was destroyed by fire. One woman and one man left before the Brigade arrived. 

Sub Officer Nicholas Matthews was at the scene, he said: “Crews wearing breathing apparatus entered the property and extinguished the fire. Thankfully the residents had a working smoke alarm which alerted them to the fire. As a result no injuries are reported.

“This incident is a reminder of just how important it is to have working smoke alarms in your property. Smoke alarms give the earliest possible warning when a fire starts. We encourage everyone to have smoke alarms fitted in every room where a fire could start, plus a heat alarm in the kitchen. It’s important to test them regularly.”

The Brigade was called at 2123 and the incident was over by 2222. Fire crews from Leytonstone, Walthamstow, Woodford, Plaistow and Stoke Newington fire stations were in attendance.

The cause of the fire is believed to be due to a fault in a fridge freezer.