Firefighters at Canning Town flat fire save three children

Three children and three adults had to be rescued by firefighters after a blaze broke out in a Canning Town flat.

The London Fire Brigade (LFB) was called to the fire in a three-roomed flat in Barking Road at 5.52pm yesterday evening (May 31).

The LFB confirmed that the flat was destroyed in the blaze. 

Video footage posted on Twitter showed heavy smoke billowing from a first floor window above a Ladbrokes betting shop.

Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus had to lead three adults and three children to safety from an adjacent flat via an external staircase.

All six of the people rescued were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation by London Ambulance Service crews.

Fire in #canningtown @NewhamLondon hope everyone is safe pic.twitter.com/fIv9xr2vPE

— Andrea Ciufo (@uomodlamansarda) May 31, 2023

Barking Road was closed between Ordnance Road and Morgan Street in both directions while firefighters worked to make the scene safe. 

Six fire engines and around 40 firefighters from Plaistow, Millwall, Poplar, East Ham, Stratford and Shadwell fire stations attended the blaze, which was extinguished by 6.40pm. 

The LFB said that the use of live-streaming technology helped firefighters tackle the blaze.

After the Brigade took more than 35 calls about the fire, 999 control officers asked a caller if they could provide a live video stream of the scene using their phone.

A text message was then sent to the caller with a secure, one-time link that opens a live stream direct from the phone to the control room.

A LFB spokesperson said that this live stream, called 999Eye, provides “better situational awareness” and allows the Brigade to offer the best advice based on the live footage.

The cause of yesterday’s fire is currently under investigation.