The fire, at the terraced house in Ley Street which had been converted into flats with a loft conversion, broke out at 4.09pm on yesterday (December 12).
Footage on social media showed the moment of the blast at the terraced building which sent debris onto the road as vehicles, including a double decker bus, were nearby.
The first floor and loft conversion were fully alight and two people were taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service, the London Fire Brigade said.
Station commander Darren McTernan is at the scene and he said: “Firefighters worked hard to bring this fire under control. Crews will remain on scene throughout the evening.
“Ley Street remains closed between Eastern Avenue and Vicarage Road, impacting traffic in the surrounding area, so please continue to avoid the area if you can.
“One of the brigade’s 32-metre turntable ladders was used at the scene as a water tower to help fight the fire from above. The brigade’s drone team were also deployed to the incident, offering the incident commander an aerial view of the scene.”
Crews from Ilford, Dagenham, Barking and surrounding fire stations were sent to the scene.
The cause of the fire, which was brought under control by 6.23pm, is being investigated.
A spokesperson for London Fire Brigade said: “Eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters tackled a fire at a mid-terraced house converted into flats with a loft conversion on Ley Street in Ilford.
“Following a gas explosion, the roof of the building was destroyed and the rest of the building was significantly damaged.
“The ground floor, first floor and loft conversion were destroyed by the fire which occurred following the explosion.
“Two neighbouring properties were also damaged.
“Two people were rescued from a first floor window by firefighters using a ladder and were taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service.
“A third person was treated on scene by London Ambulance Service.
“Five further people left neighbouring properties before the Brigade arrived.
“One of the Brigade’s 32-metre turntable ladders was used at the scene as a water tower to help fight the fire from above. The Brigade’s drone team were also deployed to the incident, offering the Incident Commander an aerial view of the scene.
“Control Officers took the first of 26 calls regarding the fire at 1609 and mobilised crews from Ilford, Dagenham, Barking and surrounding fire stations to the scene. The fire was under control by 1823.
“The cause of the fire is under investigation.”
