A significant fire has broken out at a shop with residential flats above on High Street North, East Ham, with ten fire engines and approximately 70 firefighters battling the blaze this evening, Thursday 29 May 2025. The fire was first reported to London Fire Brigade (LFB) at 19:02, when Control Officers received the first of 12 emergency calls reporting smoke and flames emerging from a mid-terraced commercial property. Blaze Declared Major Incident Firefighters arriving from East Ham, Plaistow, Stratford, and surrounding fire stations found half of the ground floor shop unit alight, with fears the fire could spread to the dwellings located on the floors above. A major incident has been declared by the Met Police as crews work swiftly to contain the flames and prevent further escalation. What We Know So Far: Location: High Street North, East Ham, E6 Time of first call: 19:02 BST Response: 10 fire engines, approx. 70 firefighters Involved structure: Shop with residential flats above Fire status: Half of shop alight, crews actively tackling blaze Injuries: No confirmed casualties at this time Public Advice Authorities are urging people to avoid the area and keep windows and doors shut due to thick smoke affecting surrounding streets. High Street North remains partially closed, with diversions in place. The incident is likely to cause significant travel disruption this evening. London Fire Brigade Statement An LFB spokesperson said: ???Crews are working in challenging conditions to bring the fire under control. Our firefighters are using breathing apparatus, hose reels and main jets to tackle the flames and protect adjacent properties.???
The sky has filled with smoke (Picture: UKNIP)

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

The fire 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, and there are 70 firefighters 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.’

A significant fire has broken out at a shop with residential flats above on High Street North, East Ham, with ten fire engines and approximately 70 firefighters battling the blaze this evening, Thursday 29 May 2025. The fire was first reported to London Fire Brigade (LFB) at 19:02, when Control Officers received the first of 12 emergency calls reporting smoke and flames emerging from a mid-terraced commercial property. Blaze Declared Major Incident Firefighters arriving from East Ham, Plaistow, Stratford, and surrounding fire stations found half of the ground floor shop unit alight, with fears the fire could spread to the dwellings located on the floors above. A major incident has been declared by the Met Police as crews work swiftly to contain the flames and prevent further escalation. What We Know So Far: Location: High Street North, East Ham, E6 Time of first call: 19:02 BST Response: 10 fire engines, approx. 70 firefighters Involved structure: Shop with residential flats above Fire status: Half of shop alight, crews actively tackling blaze Injuries: No confirmed casualties at this time Public Advice Authorities are urging people to avoid the area and keep windows and doors shut due to thick smoke affecting surrounding streets. High Street North remains partially closed, with diversions in place. The incident is likely to cause significant travel disruption this evening. London Fire Brigade Statement An LFB spokesperson said: ???Crews are working in challenging conditions to bring the fire under control. Our firefighters are using breathing apparatus, hose reels and main jets to tackle the flames and protect adjacent properties.???
The street has been cordoned off (Picture: UKNIP)

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.

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