Murder arrest after fire at east London flat block leaves one dead, five injured
man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a fire tore through a block of flats in east London – leaving one woman dead and several people injured.
Police, paramedics, an air ambulance and six fire engines were scrambled to the scene in Tollgate Road, Beckton, around 5.25pm on Thursday.
Residents reportedly jumped from upper-floor windows in a bid to escape the flames.
London Ambulance Service confirmed one person died at the scene, while five others were treated and taken to hospital.
Scotland Yard said a man has been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the incident.
A manager from a Lidl supermarket located opposite the flat block told MyLondon: “I saw people jumping out the windows from the balcony at the top, people were running around everywhere.
“They had a mattress there and they were trying to jump on it but some people didn’t get to the mattress.”
A Met Police spokesperson said: “Enquiries into the cause of the fire are ongoing”.
London Fire Brigade (LFB) says the blaze “destroyed” a stairwell running between the ground floor and second floor of the residential block.
Half of the second floor was also damaged by the fire.
Around 40 firefighters spent more than an hour tackling the fire, which was under control by around 6.35pm.
London Ambulance Service sent five ambulance crews to the scene, along with other specialist response units and London’s Air Ambulance.
A road closure was in place on Tollgate Road on Thursday night, and restrictions also in place on Bradley Stone Road and Valiant Way.
An investigation into the fire is now being carried out by Scotland Yard and LFB.
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