A BABY girl was rescued from a fire in a bed and breakfast guesthouse.

Thirty fire-fighters tackled the blaze in the two-storey building in Mansfield Road, Ilford, at around 12.35am yesterday (Friday , September 2).

A spokesman for the London Fire Brigade said "the careless disposal of a cigarette" was the suspected cause.

Around half of the first floor and part of the roof was damaged before fire-fighters brought the blaze under control at around 3am.

Poplar Station Manager Richard Welch, who attended the scene, said: “It was a difficult job and our crews worked really hard to get the people out of the property quickly and prevent the fire from spreading to the adjacent premises.

"Three adults were rescued from the building and a baby was handed over to one of our crews through a window.

“Cigarettes are a very common cause of fires so we would urge people to make sure that their cigarettes are completely out. While we do not yet know the exact circumstances around this fire, we would also advise people to never smoke in bed.”

A number of people were treated for smoke inhalation by the London Ambulance Service.