E ight fire engines and 58 firefighters are currently battling a fire at a tower block in Mile End. The London Fire Brigade (LFB) say half of a flat on the 12th floor of a tower block is alight in Wellington Way, Mile End. The Brigade received over 90 calls to the fire and were first called at about 12.30pm. Crews from Bethnal Green, Shadwell, Stratford and Whitechapel are in attendance. Forty people were forced to flee the tower block as smoke billowed over east London. No one was injured in the blaze. At this stage, the LFB say the cause of the fire is unknown. Tower fire: The blaze at the block in Mile End / @claireux Rebecca Lovell, who lives around the corner from the fire, said she was on her bike before she could smell smoke. Her partner told her it had been on the news, so she cycled to the scene. The 45-year-old said: "I live close to it, but I didn't see what happened. From speaking to police they say the whole building was evacuated and the fire is under control." She added: "I just saw one side of the building with damage. It didn't look like there was cladding on it, but I'm not an expert about that. I didn't see people in distress outside, but I think that might be because it was a few hours ago, people were quite calm." Ms Lovell said that after the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower, she was concerned the fire could have been worse. She said: "I just thought 'I hope it's not another Grenfell Tower' . Everybody is very alert when you hear there's a fire in a tower block. Fortunately everybody got out ok." Muhbeen Hussain wrote online: "There is a Tower Block in Mile End, London on fire. Fire fighters are attending to it. Pray that everyone is getting out safe." "Emergency services are attending but the fire seems to be very much ablaze." Flat blaze: The tower block on fire in Mile End / @claireux Jagmail Singh, 35, of Bow Food & wines, said: "Someone came running in the shop saying there was a fire across the road. "I called the fire brigade straight away but they said they'd already received lots of calls on it. The road is still closed off with the police at the moment." Blaze: The fire at the tower block in Mile End / @MuhbeenH Mr Singh said he was shocked to see it happened so close to his work, and said at one point he could see eight fire engines travelling to the scene. The fire was under control by 2pm, a LFB spokesman said. A spokeswoman for LAS said: "We were called a 12:36pm today to Wellington Way, Mile End to reports of a fire. “We sent an incident response officer and an ambulance crew to the scene. We also dispatched our hazardous area response team (HART). "We assessed three people at the scene but did not take them to hospital.” Mile End Fire - In pictures 1 /17 Mile End Fire - In pictures Tower fire: The blaze at the block in Mile End @claireux Flat blaze: The tower block on fire in Mile End @claireux @MuhbeenH via @CamRoberts1 @felicityhall @felicityhall @felicityhall @quirkandfolly Damage to the outside of a high-rise block in Wellington Way, Mile End, in east London, after a fire broke-out in a 12th floor flat PA A fire fighter looks at the damage to the outside of a high-rise block in Wellington Way, Mile End, in east London, after a fire broke-out in a 12th floor flat PA Emergency service vehicles near a high-rise block in Wellington Way, Mile End, in east London, after a fire broke-out in a 12th floor flat PA A fire fighter looks at the damage to the outside of a high-rise block in Wellington Way, Mile End, in east London, after a fire broke-out in a 12th floor flat PA Emergency services block access to Wellington Way, Mile End, east London, where a fire broke out on the 12th floor flat of a high-rise block PA The exterior of a high-rise block in Wellington Way, Mile End, in east London, after a fire broke-out in a 12th floor flat PA Damage to the outside of a high-rise block in Wellington Way, Mile End, in east London, after a fire broke-out in a 12th floor flat PA People look at the damage to the outside of a high-rise block in Wellington Way, Mile End, in east London, after a fire broke-out in a 12th floor flat PA Damage to the outside of a high-rise block in Wellington Way, Mile End, in east London, after a fire broke-out in a 12th floor flat PA Earlier today London firefighters appeared at the Grenfell Tower fire inquiry to give evidence about the blaze that claimed 72 lives. Sixty firefighters were in attendance at the blaze / @MuhbeenH David Badillo, part of the North Kensington crew which arrived first at the inferno last June described crying "every day" after learning of the death of a 12-year-old girl he tried to save.<doc-sep>The video will auto-play soon 8 Cancel Get email updates with the day's biggest stories Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Residents fled in terror as their tower block caught fire, sending flames shooting out of windows and smoke billowing into the sky. 60 firefighters fought with the blaze at the 22-storey Grafton House in Mile End, Tower Hamlets in east London - less than 10 miles from Grenfell Tower which caught fire so catastrophically just over a year ago. About 44 residents fled the tower block after the fire broke out inside a 12th floor flat. A further two people were helped out of the building from the ninth floor and led to safety by the London Fire Brigade. Eyewitnesses captured dramatic scenes with their mobile phones as flames shot out of the flat and smoke that billowed up the side of the high-rise was visible for miles. Eye witnesses described the "panic" as more than 40 residents scrambled out onto the street just after 1pm. Do you live in the building? Email webnews@trinitymirror.com (Image: @ingrid_oev/Twitter) (Image: PA) Support worker Mohammed Aden, 35, was sleeping in his tenth floor flat when the blaze began just after 12 noon. He said: “I was asleep and I got the knock, I could hear shouting. “We all ran down the stairs and got out; some people were almost crying. “I’ve lived in the flat for nine years, but I’m not comfortable living there after Grenfell. “There was a fire in October last year, but there was no response like today." (Image: PA) He added: “Fire safety must be increased. "It scares me living on the tenth floor; I have a phobia now.” Electrician Andy Manu, 27, was working on the 12th floor when the blaze began. He said: “An old man came out and said he could smell smoke. “People began rushing outside, everyone got out quick.” Another resident, who asked nor to be named, said: “They took out all the gas from the building, so it must have been a cooker. “It’s just paranoia; the building itself had the cladding removed 10 years ago. “There was a panic, you could see it in peoples' eyes.” More than 90 calls were placed to 999 after the fire started at about 12.30pm, with eight fire engines and 58 firefighters being sent to tackle the inferno. The blaze was brought under control just before 2pm. This comes as a public inquiry continues into the Grenfell Tower fire in west London last June in which 72 people died. Grafton House has 130 flats spread over 22 floors, with between four and six on each level, according to a fire risk assessment carried out after the Grenfell Tower tragedy. The brick and concrete building, completed in 1970, does not have a fire detection system or a sprinkler system as of last year, and it has a dry riser that allows firefighters to pump water to upper floors, the report states. There are two smoke detectors on every occupied floor which do not sound an alarm but automatically open vents on the floor where they were activated, the report adds. It has one central staircase and two lifts. A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: "Eight fire engines and 58 firefighters and officers were called to a flat fire in Wellington Way, Mile End. "Half of a flat on the 12th floor was alight. Around 40 people left the building before the Brigade arrived. "The Brigade’s 999 Control Officers took more than 90 calls to the fire. "The Brigade was called at 12.28pm and the fire was under control at 1.51pm. "Fire crews from Bethnal Green, Shadwell, Stratford, Whitechapel and surrounding fire stations are at the scene. "The cause of the fire is under investigation." There were no immediate reports of any serious casualties. Police have cordoned off part of Wellington Way to the public and are urging residents to make their way to the nearby Merchant Street community centre for advice. Photos posted on Twitter around 1.10pm appeared to suggest firefighters were gaining the upper hand on the blaze, showing a smaller cloud of smoke that was no longer black. The cause of the fire is unknown. A fire risk assessment for Grafton House, owned by Eastend Homes, was carried out in March 2017, just months before the Grenfell Tower tragedy which left 72 people dead in June last year. The report states a "stay put" policy - similar to the one criticised in the wake of the Grenfell disaster - was in effect in 2017. It says: "Full alarm systems with smoke detection and sounders will not be installed as a matter of course as this will detrimentally affect the effectiveness of the 'Stay Put' advice." The report adds: "The evacuation procedure for Eastend Homes Housing Blocks recommends that unless a fire breaks out in the residents' dwelling, the residents should remain within their property until London Fire Brigade has attended the site and the fire has been dealt with." The building had no sprinkler system at the time of the report, carried out by Whale Fire Limited on behalf of Eastend Homes, and there were no fire extinguishers in any common areas of the building. It said "at the time of the inspection there were structural features identified within this block that could promote or assist the spread of fire", including flat entry doors that were not fire resistant. It also cited concerns about people smoking near the staircase, security gates protecting flat doors, and items stored in common areas being potential fire hazards. The assessment was due to be review in March this year. Mirror Online has contacted Eastend Homes for comment.<doc-sep>"When we see one fire we just get shocked, because we think that our house might go up as well," she said.<doc-sep>Fire crews tackled a blaze at a high-rise block of flats in east London that sent smoke billowing across the capital. Around 60 firefighters were called to the blaze on the 12th floor of the building in Mile End on Friday afternoon. London Fire Brigade said it received more than 90 calls to the scene at around 12.30pm. It said most of a three-roomed flat in the 21-storey building was damaged along with part of the balcony of the floor above. Around 44 people left the building, in Wellington Way, before firefighters arrived and a further two people were led to safety. There were no reported injuries. The cause of the fire is being investigated. Footage posted on social media showed smoke and flames billowing from the windows of the flat as firefighters used an aerial ladder platform.<doc-sep>
More than 50 firefighters tackled a blaze at a residential tower block in east London. Emergency services were called to the fire in Grafton House, in Mile End, at around 12.30pm on Friday. London Fire Brigade (LFB) said half of a flat on the 12th storey of the tower had caught alight, while flames had also spread to a small section of the 13th floor. Around 44 people left the building before emergency crews arrived on scene, while a further two were led to safety by firefighters. LFB said there had been no reported injuries during the incident. A spokesman for London Ambulance Service said three people were assessed at the scene, but no one was taken to hospital. The fire sent a large plume of smoke billowing into the air, which was visible across the capital. Authorities said the brigade's 999 control room received more than 90 emergency calls from members of the public in relation to the incident. LFB announced the blaze had been extinguished by 1.50pm. Jamila Noor who lives in the tower block next door with her husband and three children, said she would not stay put in her flat if a fire broke out in her building if she felt she could get out. “We see one fire we just get shocked, because we think that our house might go up as well,” she said. “That's how it is when you live in tower blocks. One is affected, everything is affected.” East End Homes, the housing association responsible for the block, said there were no injuries and all residents had been safely evacuated. “Everybody is safe, some residents have gone to a nearby community centre where they are getting support and refreshments,” a spokesman said. The organisation declined to say whether any residents would need to be rehomed as a result of the fire. Elected Tower Hamlets mayor, John Biggs, said the council was in “regular contact” with the housing association and was offering “support and assistance. “Very grateful to the emergency services for their response,” he added on Twitter. Most of a three-roomed flat on the 12th floor was damaged by the fire and part of the balcony of the 13th floor was also damaged. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined. Additional reporting by PA