LONDON — A fire engulfed an apartment building in east London early Monday, sending thick black smoke into the air and sending two people to the hospital for medical treatment.

The London Fire Brigade said the fire was reported at 2:44 a.m. and the entire building was affected, including scaffolding surrounding the property and the roof.

The building has been evacuated and a significant search and rescue operation is underway. The London Ambulance Service said four people were treated at the scene and two were take to the hospital.

As many as 40 fire engines and about 225 firefighters responded to the fire at the building, which has both residential and commercial units. The cause of the blaze isn’t yet known

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Dagenham fire LIVE: Major incident declared as 225 firefighters tackle huge blaze at east London tower block

A huge fire has engulfed a high rise residential and commercial block in east London.

Forty fire engines and around 225 firefighters are responding to the blaze in Freshwater Road, Dagenham, with the London Fire Brigade declaring a major incident.

More than 100 people were evacuated from the building and two people have been taken to hospital.

London Fire Commissioner Andy Roe said: “The building has a number of fire safety issues known to London Fire Brigade. A full simultaneous evacuation of the building was immediately carried out and a significant search and rescue operation is underway.”

Scaffolding surrounding the building is alight, as well parts of the ground to sixth floors and the roof, the LFB, who were called to the blaze at 2.44am on Monday, said.

Work was underway to remove cladding from block before blaze

09:27 , Daniel Keane

Authorities were removing cladding from the tower block shortly before it was hit by a devastating fire, it has emerged.

Valcan, a leading company in architectural cladding systems, posted on Facebook last week that it was working to remove “non-compliant cladding” on the building.

A picture posted by the firm shows the fifth and sixth floor covered in scaffolding.

Cladding refers to an external layer attached to a building’s main structure.

Campaigners have called for unsafe cladding to be removed from buildings since the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017.

What is a major incident?

09:21 , Daniel Keane

A major incident allows the LFB to ramp up resources to deal with a fire.

According to its website, the LFB set up a command unit when a major incident is declared.

An incident commander will create a plan for tackling the incident based on a number of factors, including the number of firefighters and potential hazards and risks.

In pictures: Firefighters work to douse blaze at tower block

09:03 , Daniel Keane

Rest centre set up near the scene

08:51 , Daniel Keane

A rest centre has been set up at Beacontree Heath leisure centre, Mr Goulbourne added.

“Officers with our partners are stationed there to help residents,” he said.

Mr Goulbourne also repeated the LFB’s plea for local residents to keep their windows and doors closed to avoid smoke.

LFB arrived on the scene within 5 minutes

08:50 , Daniel Keane

Patrick Goulbourne, incident commander and an Assistant Commissioner at the LFB, has given an update at the scene.

He said that officers arrived on the scene within 5 minutes of receiving the first call.

“A full simultaneous evacuation was carried out and a significant search and rescue operation is still underway.”

LFB to give update imminently

08:35 , Daniel Keane

The London Fire Brigade are expected to issue an update on the fire imminently.

We will have all the latest updates from their press conference here.

More than 200 firefighters remain at the scene.

LFB using drones to assess the scene

08:22 , Daniel Keane

The London Fire Brigade are using drones to assess the impact of the fire on the building.

London Fire Commissioner Andy Roe said the brigade was also using 64-metre turntable ladders and 32-metre turntable ladders to provide incident commanders with a “vantage point for assessing the scene”.

“The Brigade has stood up full strategic arrangements to deal with the incident and a rest centre has been set up at Beacontree Health and Leisure Centre. LFB officers are stationed at the rest centre to support residents,” he added.

Residents urged to keep windows closed due to smoke

08:11 , Daniel Keane

Local residents in Dagenham have been urged to keep their windows closed to avoid smoke.

Station Commander Alan Bendell, who is at the scene of the fire, said: “The fire is producing heavy smoke and we’re advising local residents to keep windows and doors closed.

“Two of the Brigade’s 32-metre turntable ladders are being used at the scene as aerial water towers to assist with tackling the fire from height.

“Freshwater Road is closed to traffic, so please avoid the area where possible.”

Major incident declared and major search operation underway

07:59 , Daniel Keane

The London Fire Brigade have declared a major incident this morning in response to the fire.

London Fire Commissioner Andy Roe said the move would allow the Brigade “to focus our resources on the incident”.

He said: “The building has a number of fire safety issues known to London Fire Brigade. A full simultaneous evacuation of the building was immediately carried out and a significant search and rescue operation is underway.

“The Brigade’s Control Officers have taken 16 calls to the fire, including successfully giving vital fire survival guidance to a number of people using our Fire Survival Guidance App, which allows information to be exchanged between Control and the incident ground in a timely, accurate and consistent manner.“

Video shows fire engulfing flats

07:52

Footage from the scene shows the extent of the blaze earlier this morning.

225 firefighters at the scene – four people treated by LAS

07:49 , Matt Watts

Fire crews from Dagenham, Ilford, Romford, Barking and surrounding fire stations are at the scene.

The cause of the fire is not known at this time.

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called at 2.52am today (26 August) to reports of a fire on Freshwater Road in Dagenham.

“We sent a large number of resources to the scene, including ambulance crews, incident response officers, an advanced paramedic in critical care, emergency planning officers, a command support vehicle and members of our hazardous area response team (HART).

“We also dispatched London’s Air Ambulance.

“We treated four patients at the scene and took two of them to a hospital”.

People told to avoid the area

07:48 , Matt Watts

Station Commander Alan Bendell, who is on scene, said: “The fire is producing heavy smoke and we’re advising local residents to keep windows and doors closed.

“Two of the Brigade’s 32-metre turntable ladders are being used at the scene as aerial water towers to assist with tackling the fire from height.

“Freshwater Road is closed to traffic, so please avoid the area where possible.”