Five people had to be rescued by firefighters after a blaze ripped through a mid-terraced house.

London Fire Brigade received the first of 16 calls about the blaze in Scotts Road, Leyton, at 7am this morning (October 28).

The fire had broken out in a mid-terraced house that has been converted into flats.

Two people escaped the house before firefighters arrived, while a further five people had to be rescued from the building.

They were treated at the scene by the London Ambulance Service before being rushed to hospital.

The house's first floor flat and roof were both destroyed, and its ground floor flat was also partially damaged by fire.

Six fire engines and around 40 firefighters took almost three hours to extinguish the blaze, with the incident under control just before 10am.

Crews from Leyton, Leytonstone Walthamstow and surrounding fire stations attended.

A 32m ladder was deployed at the scene to give crews a view of the incident from above.

The brigade is providing support to the local community following the fire and its cause is under investigation.