Ilford fire: ‘Explosion’ leaves two people hospitalised as 60 firefighters rush to scene

Two people have been taken to hospital after an explosion in a terraced house in Ilford, east London.

London Fire Brigade deployed eight fire engines as well as approximately 60 firefighters to deal with the horrific blaze in Ley Street just after 4pm today.

Footage on social media shows the house, which has now been converted into flats, exploding, causing parts of the building falling into the street.

At its most dramatic point, the fire fully engulfed the first floor and loft conversion, according to the London Fire Brigade.

Station Commander Darren McTernan said at the scene: “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.

“The Brigade’s drone team were also deployed to the incident, offering the Incident Commander an aerial view of the scene.”

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An investigation into the cause of the fire remains ongoing.

London Fire Brigade has reported that their control officers took 25 calls about the fire from 4.09pm.

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.”

In response to the fire, councillor Khayer Chowdhury – the cabinet member for enforcement and community safety on Redbridge Council – posted online: “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.”