SHOCKED residents watched in horror as yet another historic home was reduced to ashes by a devastating fire.

More than 20 firefighters from as far away as Tottenham battled for seven hours to control the blaze, which completely gutted the derelict Victorian building, in Mornington Road, Woodford Green.

Neighbour, John Green, spotted the start of the blaze at midnight, but put it down to the squatters who had been staying there.

He said: "I looked out of my window and saw this glowing orange light, but just thought it was an extra bulb being used by one of the squatters.

"Within about half-an-hour, the house was completely ablaze, and the street was packed with firemen, with hoses suspended from tall ladders spraying water onto its roof.

"There was a tremendous crashing sound when the roof finally caved in, with flames covering the rest of the building."

Fellow Mornington Road resident, Steven Keller, was horrified to see the street packed with fire engines when he returned home from a night out, at about 4am.

He said: "It was a shocking sight to come back to.

"I was originally worried that it was my mum's place, and was relieved when a fireman said it was the derelict house down the road."

Fears were raised that the squatters, who had occupied the property for several weeks, had been caught up in the fire, but no-one was found inside the building.

The house was owned by developers Aitch Group Holdings, who have been engaged with a battle with Redbridge Council over their application to demolish it and replace it with five luxury six-bedroomed homes.

The next hearing was due to be held in May.

By an unhappy coincidence Woodford Green's oldest house, Little Monkhams in Monkhams Lane, burned to the ground the day before the Planning Inspectorate was due to hear an appeal on whether to demolish it in January last year.

Officers from the Fire Investigation Unit found that the Little Monkhams fire was not suspicious and had been started by a faulty fuse box.

They are now investigating the cause of the Mornington Road fire.