A fire engulfed a block of flats on Freshwater Road in Dagenham, east London, in the early hours of Monday, 26 August. Forty fire engines and more than 200 firefighters were deployed to tackle the blaze at a mixed-used residential and commercial building, London Fire Brigade said. The whole building was affected by the fire, including scaffolding surrounding the property and the roof. Local residents were advised to keep windows and doors closed due to heavy smoke. "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," London Fire Commissioner Andy Roe said.