Huge fire at shop in East London fills the sky with smoke

Locals are being asked to keep their windows and doors closed after a shop caught fire in East Ham.

The fire in a shop with flats above on High Street North in east London was first reported at about 7pm.

Half of the shop, located in a mid-terrace, is alight, as is a small part of the first floor.

At its peak there were about 125 firefighters and 20 fire engines at the scene, the London Fire Brigade said.

Station Commander Darren McTernan said at the scene: ‘Crews are working hard to bring this fire under control. 

‘High Street North will remain closed while the incident is ongoing.

‘Please avoid the area and we advise people to keep windows and doors closed due to large amounts of smoke.’

Fire crews from East Ham, Plaistow, Stratford and other surrounding fire stations have been sent to the scene.

High Street North has been closed off by the police and fire brigade.

There is thick dark smoke pouring out of the building and rising into the sky above.

No casualties have been confirmed so far, and the fire brigade says the incident is likely to cause significant travel disruption well into the evening.

Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected]. Or you can submit your videos and pictures here.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Follow Metro.co.uk on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.

MORE: Live jazz, dinner and drinks in Mayfair: 10 unmissable Time Out deals

MORE: Map shows average savings in different UK regions — how does yours compare?

MORE: We tried London’s hottest new pizza spot that doesn’t ‘scrimp on the toppings’