Five people have been rushed to hospital with three in a life-threatening condition after being injured in a suspected arson attack at a London restaurant.
Police, paramedics and firefighters were called to the blaze at Indian Aroma on Woodford Avenue in Gants Hill, Ilford, at around 9pm on Friday.
Firefighters rescued three women and two men trapped inside the restaurant, three of whom suffered life-threatening injuries.
No arrests have been made so far and all five remain in hospital.
Nine other people were able to escape from the premises before the fire brigade arrived and part of the ground floor was damaged, the London Fire Brigade said.
The five injured were treated for burns and smoke inhalation. Two of them were taken to a major trauma centre and three were taken to local hospitals, London Ambulance Service said.
The cause of the blaze is being investigated by firefighters and the Metropolitan Police.
Detective Chief Inspector Mark Rogers, of the Met’s Central Specialist Crime North unit said: ‘We understand this incident will cause concern within the community. My team of specialist detectives are working at speed to piece the incident together.
Police, paramedics and firefighters were called to the fire on Woodford Avenue in Gants Hill, Ilford, at about 9pm on Friday
CCTV footage showed the moment the restaurant, Indian Aroma, was set on fire in the suspected arson attack
The cause of the blaze is being investigated by firefighters and the Metropolitan Police
‘Locals can expect to see a large police presence in the area. If you have any concerns, please speak to those officers on the ground.’
A local resident described the aftermath of the suspected arson attack.
Hospital porter Edward Thawe, 43, stepped outside his nearby home with his 12-year-old son to see if he could help after hearing screaming.
The police and ambulance were already at the scene, which Mr Thawe described as ‘horrible’ and ‘more than scary and the sort of thing that you don’t want to look at twice’.
He said he thought one man who was on the street and a woman who was also outside may have been customers.
Mr Thawe added that the man’s ‘whole body was burnt’, including his shirt, but he was still wearing his trousers.
Uniformed officers guarded the police cordon that was in place on Saturday as forensic officers in protective clothing examined the scene.
The taped cordon stretched from outside the shop on local high street which faces on to a busy main road and on to the pavement.
On Saturday forensics officers were seen gathering evidence as a police cordon remained in place
A cordon remains in place after five people were left injured by the blaze and were taken to hospital
The fire broke out at Indian Aroma restaurant and was put out around 90 minutes later
A trail of what appeared to be bloodstained footsteps along the pavement was spotted by a forensic officer.
A number of items were also bagged up in clear plastic carriers outside the shop.
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: ‘We were called at 9.04pm yesterday to reports of a fire on Woodford Avenue, Ilford.
‘We sent resources to the scene, including ambulance crews, an advanced paramedic, an incident response officer and paramedics from our hazardous area response team. We also dispatched a trauma team in a car from London’s Air Ambulance.
‘We treated five people for burns and smoke inhalation. We took two patients to a major trauma centre and three others to local hospitals.’
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: ‘We were called at 9.02pm to reports of a fire at a restaurant on Woodford Avenue in Gants Hill.
‘Part of the ground floor restaurant was damaged by fire. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus rescued five people from the restaurant.
‘They were all taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service. Around nine further people were able to leave the restaurant before firefighters arrived.
‘The brigade’s control officers received seven calls about the fire and mobilised crews from Ilford, Hainault, Leytonstone and Woodford fire stations to the scene. The fire was extinguished by 10.32pm.
‘The cause of the fire is being investigated by the brigade and the Metropolitan Police Service.’
Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who is the MP for Ilford North, posted on X saying: ‘Huge thanks to @metpoliceuk @LondonFire @Ldn-Ambulance for their response to a serious incident on Gants Hill/Woodford Avenue this evening.
‘Please avoid the area for now. Further updates will follow from @RedbridgeLive and emergency services.’
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Met via 101, quoting 7559/22AUG. If you wish to remain anonymous, please speak with Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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