As many as 11 people were rushed to hospital and dozens more were evacuated last night after a fire ripped through a block of flats in London.
Police, firefighters and the ambulance service all descended on Bradbeer House in Bethnal Green, in the capital's east, in the middle of the night after the blaze broke out.
With so many people forced out of their homes, crowds of locals soon gathered on the street as the London Fire Brigade rushed to put out the flames - with eight fire engines and legions of firefighters on-site to tackle the inferno.
Alongside the 11 - including a firefighter - who were rushed to hospital, 17 people were treated on scene by London Ambulance Service crews.
As many as 17 people had to be treated at the scene, the Fire Brigade said
LONDON FIRE BRIGADE
Just over an hour after the fire started, crews from at least four local stations managed to finish off the flames at around 1am.
But the blaze left destruction in its wake - in total, three flats across Bradbeer House's ground, first and second floors were hollowed out by the fire.
Meanwhile, images from the scene on Thursday morning showed shattered glass, a broken window and debris littered across the ground after fire crews were forced to lug out residents' belongings.
Police have not confirmed exactly what was behind the fire - but witness reports hint that it may have been sparked by lithium batteries from an electric bike or e-bike.
TOWER BLOCK BLAZES - READ MORE:
But the blaze left destruction in its wake - in total, three flats across Bradbeer House's ground, first and second floors were hollowed out by the fire
GB NEWS
A pair of bikes were said to have been being charged when the fire broke out, local reports say.
A London Fire Brigade statement also confirmed the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Following the blaze, the LFB heaped praise on its crews' use of fire escape hoods to rescue members of the public - first used in 2018 in the aftermath of the horror Grenfell Tower fire.
The hoods provide members of the public with up to 15 minutes' protection from four of the main fire gases (carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen chloride and acrolein) and can be worn by conscious or unconscious people, the LFB said.
In total, fire crews took 36 calls to the blaze - and phone operators gave fire survival guidance to three residents on how to stay safe before firefighters arrived.
MORE ON E-BIKE FIRES:
- E-bike fire destroys family home days before Christmas with calls for Labour to introduce more safety rules
- Sadiq Khan bans electric scooters and e-bikes from London transport network after fires and 'great concern'
- E-bikes and e-scooters pose major safety risks with Britons warned to follow protocols to avoid danger
Following the blaze, the LFB heaped praise on its crews' use of fire escape hoods (pictured) to rescue members of the public
PA
A London Ambulance Service spokesman said: "We were called at 11.38pm yesterday (April 9) to reports of a fire in Cornwall Avenue, Bethnal Green.
"We sent a number of resources to the scene including ambulance crews, advanced paramedics and members of our Hazardous Area Response Team. We treated 17 patients in total.
"We took 11 patients to hospital and six patients were cared for and discharged at the scene."
The LFB later confirmed that the fire was extinguished by 1.05am on Thursday.
