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>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>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>
A fire which started in the twelfth-floor flat of an east London tower block was quickly put out with no one injured because the building is covered in flame-resistant cladding, preventing another 'Grenfell-style tragedy', a resident claimed today. Smoke billowed into the sky after the fire broke out in a flat in Grafton House, one of two 22-storey housing blocks in Mile End. Six fire engines were called in from the around the area after flames were seen leaping up the side of the building and smoke was visible from around London. Syed Nahid Uddin, 25, told MailOnline that the fire – which was put out a short time later – was started in his sister's flat but said the blaze could have been 'much worse' had it not been for the fire-proof cladding. Residents from around the area looked on as the flames sent smoke pouring into the sky above east London at 12.30pm Flames were seen leaping up the side of Grafton House in east London today before fire crews arrived to tackle the blaze Mr Uddin told MailOnline: 'It was a cooker fire, but we don't know how it started yet. 'My sister was doing housework when she smelled smoke and went into the kitchen to find the oven on fire. Luckily her one-year-old son was staying with another relative at the time so she was in the house alone. 'She immediately alerted a neighbour and when they realised they couldn't contain the flames they shut the front fire door and left the building. A neighbour called emergency services. 'My sister has been seen by emergency services and although she's in a state of shock they've told her that she's fine.' Mr Uddin, who works for East End Homes, which maintains the block, added: 'The building is coated in fire-proof cladding. It was deemed safe after an inspection following another fire in late 2016. After Grenfell there were further checks. 'Grenfell residents were failed by the authorities. I'm relieved that we haven't experienced similar circumstances here. It obviously could have been much worse.' There are 130 flats in the building, which has 21 floors. The fire was quickly extinguished leaving smoke damage visible from the street. Another resident who lives two floors above on the 14th floor, said: 'If it wasn't for the first resistant cladding on the building this could have been another Grenfell. 'We were alerted when the dog heard something and got jittery. Then my daughter heard a noise and we went outside where maintenance workers told us there'd been a fire and to leave the building. 'We've had another fire here a year or so ago, but that was also contained.' Syed Nahid Uddin spoke to MailOnline about the fire at Mile End housing block Grafton House today London Ambulance assessed three people at the scene but said nobody needed hospital treatment London fire brigade said around 40 people fled their homes in the block and the fire was under control within an hour and a half of their arrival. More than 90 people called 999 over the fire, with the capital on a heightened sense of alert as shocking details emerge of the Grenfell Tower fire at the ongoing inquiry. A spokesman for the London Fire Brigade 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 1228 and the fire was under control at 1351. Fire crews from Bethnal Green, Shadwell, Stratford, Whitechapel and surrounding fire stations are at the scene. The cause of the fire is under investigation.' A London Ambulance Service spokeswoman 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.'