Dozens of London firefighters tackle major blaze

Fifteen fire crews extinguish blaze that destroys 20 flats and damages another 10

Around 100 firefighters tackled the blaze which has destroyed 20 flats. London Fire Brigade

One hundred firefighters tackled a major blaze at a block of flats in London on Sunday.

London Fire Brigade said the fire spread over six floors. Twenty flats were destroyed and another 10 damaged.

It took more than two hours to get the fire under control and it was extinguished by around 6pm.

A man and a woman were treated for the effects of inhaling smoke, while the cause of the fire is now being investigated.

Reports from witnesses suggested the block at Barking, east London, was newly built.

The fire comes in the week of the second anniversary of the Grenfell Tower blaze in which 72 people died.

Investigations into the Grenfell fire focused on the materials used in the 24-storey housing block. The rapid spread of the fire meant many of the victims had little time to escape.

Residents in the six-storey block in east London have claimed their concerns about fire safety breaches were downplayed by its builders only last month, The Guardian reported.

Peter Mason, chair of the Barking Reach residents’ association, said that in early May that he contacted builder Bellway Homes to ask for the fire risk to be investigated after the BBC reported on fire safety problems at two other developments by the same builder.

The builder said there were no concerns about safety.

It said the construction method used on the development in Scotland, examined by Watchdog, was different and so the Barking homes were not affected in the same way.