Ilford fire: Guinea pigs rescued as butchers shop damaged by blaze

A butchers shop in Ilford, east London, has been damaged by a fire in the early hours of the morning.

Firefighters dashed to Ilford Lane, Ilford, in Redbridge, at 3.16am this morning (Friday, July 22).

Eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters battled the flames at the shop with flats above.

Most of the ground floor shop and part of the first floor of the building were damaged by fire.

There were no reports of any injuries, while firefighters rescued pet guinea pigs from the homes above the business.

Station commander Dean Wilkinson, who was at the scene, said: "The fire affected the right hand side of an end-of-terrace shop.

“One person left the building before the brigade arrived. Crews rescued pet guinea pigs from a flat above the shop.”

He added: "One of our 32-metre turntable ladders was used at the scene as an observation tower, providing an aerial view of the incident and helping incident commanders to develop tactics to bring the fire under control."

The fire service control room received 10 emergency calls to the blaze, and the fire was under control by 5.05am.

Fire crews from Barking, Stratford, Plaistow, Ilford and surrounding fire stations attended the scene.

The fire is believed to have been accidental, but the exact cause is under investigation.