LONDON 17 Sep (ANA) - A woman has been rescued after a fire ripped through a block of flats in east London.

 

The blaze broke out at the building on Harry Zeital Way in Clapton at 22:40 BST on Monday.

 

Resident Soyeb Isralia said it started on a downstairs balcony but spread to the upper floors "within two minutes".

 

It destroyed balconies from the ground to the fifth floor, along with part of a flat on the fifth floor and a section of the roof.

 

About 80 firefighters and 12 fire engines were sent to tackle the blaze.

 

London Fire Brigade said nobody was injured and the cause of the fire was under investigation.

 

Mr Isralia said he was in the bath when he heard people shouting about the fire, so he grabbed a towel and evacuated the building.

 

"We saw the downstairs balcony on fire and within two minutes the flames went all the way up to the fourth floor.

 

"Everything just exploded after that," he said.

 

The blaze was brought under control by 01:40 and firefighters will remain at the scene throughout the morning.(ANA)

FA/ANA/17 September 2019------