Two people taken to hospital after explosion in east London terrace house

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

London fire brigade sent eight fire engines and about 60 firefighters to deal with the blaze in Ley Street just after 4pm on Tuesday.

Footage on social media shows the house, which has been converted into flats, exploding into a fireball and chunks of masonry being thrown into the street.

The brigade said that at the fire’s height the first floor and loft conversion were “fully alight”.

Station Cmdr Darren McTernan, who is at the scene, said: “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.”

Crews from Ilford, Dagenham, Barking and surrounding fire stations were sent to the scene. The cause of the fire, which was brought under control by 6.23pm, is being investigated.