Romford Church hall catches fire as residents told to keep windows and doors shut

A severe blaze needed seventy firefighters to battle through the night as a church in Romford ignited. The London Fire Brigade worked tirelessly from 12.30am, responding to reports of impenetrable smoke and flames arising from a church hall on St Andrews Road.

The fire started within the church hall causing damage to the ground floor, first floor and the building's roof. A 32-metre ladder was deployed to handle the towering flames from a safe height, residents were advised to shut windows and doors while firefighters battled the flames.

The billowing smoke could be seen reaching for miles around the area, the fire was finally put under control after an arduous two and half hours of firefighting. The cause of the fire remains shrouded in mystery as it is still under investigation by London Fire Brigade.

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The official statement from LFB read: "Ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters responded to a fire in a church hall on St Andrews Road, Romford. Part of the ground floor, first floor and the buildings roof were damaged by the fire. One of the Brigade's 32m ladders was deployed to the scene, allowing crews to attack the fire from above.", reports MyLondon.

"The fire produced a large amount of smoke, and residents in the area were advised to keep doors and windows closed as crews responded." Control Officers were informed about the incident at 0030, and crews had the incident under control by 0301. Firefighters from Dagenham, Ilford, Hainault and surrounding fire stations attended the scene. The cause of the fire is under investigation."

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