Three men escaped from the roof of a burning flat this afternoon.
The trio of workmen were helped to safety from the block above the Cherry Tree Cafe, in New Road, on the Rainham/Dagenham border, by fire crews.
Witness Ozzie Sabbah, manager of the cafe, said: “There was smoke coming into the cafe. There were some guys working on the roof, so I knew straight away what it was, so I called the fire brigade and luckily it wasn’t too serious - it could have been a lot worse.”
A woman and her 18-month-old baby also escaped the burning building.
Their home was slightly damaged, according to her husband - who was not in the flat at the time of the fire and has asked not to be named.
The fire damaged 50 per cent of the roof of the building and 20 per cent of the roof of an adjacent property.
Around 20 firefighters from Wennington, Barking and Dagenham stations battled the fire, which was reported at 2.42pm.
A London Fire Brigade (LFB) spokesman said: “The fire was under control by 3.42pm. The cause of the fire is under investigation.”
Did you see the rescue? Contact the newsdesk on 020 8477 3878.
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