Smoke seen for miles as firefighters tackle Romford church blaze in the middle of the night

Seventy firefighters were needed to tackle a fire in a church hall in Romford last night. The London Fire Brigade were first called to reports of the blaze at 12.30am shortly after midnight.

Ten fire engines rushed to the fire on St Andrews Road, which had broken out in a church hall. Firefighters discovered that part of the ground floor, first floor and the building's roof were damaged by the fire.

They needed to use a 32 metre ladder to help them attack the fire from above, the LFB added. Residents were advised to keep their windows and doors closed while firefighters tackled the blaze.

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The fire produced lots of smoke, which could be seen from a considerable distance away. It took firefighters two and a half hours to bring the fire under control.

The London Fire Brigade say the cause of the fire is still unknown at this stage and is under investigation. The full statement from the LFB says: "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.

"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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