A vacant pub was gutted by an inferno in the early hours of Sunday morning.

More than forty firefighters scrambled to subdue the blaze a fire at a disused pub in Chadwell Heath High Road.

Most of the two-storey building was destroyed by the fire but there were no reported injuries.

Shortly before 5am, a passing on-duty bus driver informed Transport for London the building was on fire, who then alerted the brigade.

Fire crews worked for several hours to extinguish the blaze, which had quickly spread from a corner of the roof to the rest of the building. Firefighters used drones to help them gain a better view of the fire.

The Brigade’s Fire Investigation team were unable to determine the cause of the blaze because of the severity of the damage caused by the fire.

A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: “Always call 999 first if you see a fire or an emergency situation – so that we can get to it quickly and save lives. Alert other authorities or property owners afterwards.”

Fire crews from Dagenham, Ilford, Romford, Hainault, Barking and East Ham fire stations reported the fire under control by 7.17am.

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