Five people have been rescued and taken to hospital after a fire at a restaurant in east London.
The blaze ripped through the eatery’s ground floor in Woodford Avenue, Ilford last night.
Firefighters were called to the scene at around 9pm with five people trapped inside the restaurant.
Crews wore breathing apparatus to rescue the group, who were then dispatched to hospital.
The five people were treated for burns and smoke inhalation, with two going to a major trauma centre.
Nine others were able to escape the blaze on their own before firefighers arrived.
The cause of the blaze is being investigated by firefighters and the Metropolitan Police.
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: ‘We were called at 9.04pm yesterday to reports of a fire on Woodford Avenue, Ilford.
‘We sent resources to the scene, including ambulance crews, an advanced paramedic, an incident response officer and paramedics from our hazardous area response team. We also dispatched a trauma team in a car from London’s Air Ambulance.
‘We treated five people for burns and smoke inhalation. We took two patients to a major trauma centre and three others to local hospitals.’
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: ‘We were called at 9.02pm to reports of a fire at a restaurant on Woodford Avenue in Gants Hill.
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‘Part of the ground floor restaurant was damaged by fire. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus rescued five people from the restaurant. They were all taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service. Around nine further people were able to leave the restaurant before firefighters arrived.
‘The brigade’s control officers received seven calls about the fire and mobilised crews from Ilford, Hainault, Leytonstone and Woodford fire stations to the scene. The fire was extinguished by 10.32pm.
‘The cause of the fire is being investigated by the brigade and the Metropolitan Police Service.”
Local MP Wes Streeting, who is also the Health Secretary, posted on X saying: ‘Huge thanks to @metpoliceuk @londonfire @Ldn_Ambulance for their response to a serious incident on Gants Hill/Woodford Avenue this evening.
‘Please avoid the area for now. Further updates will follow from @RedbridgeLive and emergency services.’
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