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About 100 people were forced to flee after a fire broke out on the 17th floor of a tower block in east London.

Some 58 firefighters battled the blaze for an hour and a half in Stratford in the early hours of Monday.

One witness described how terrified people ran “screaming” from the scene of the inferno as "thick" smoke billowed from the building.

Rahul Pawar, who lives across the road from the Leather Gardens block, told the Standard: "Around 1.15am I heard people screaming and a few minutes later thick cloud of smoke emerged from the building.

"Within a few minutes the fire was growing and debris start falling down. Firefighters arrived very quickly to the site and I could see the smoke getting thinner and thinner.

"They were very prompt and brought the fire to an end which could have spread very fast as strong wind was blowing at the top floor."

Some posted images showing of a flat completely alright, flames bursting from the windows.

Another witness, Austin Reynolds, said he was woken up in the small hours by "shouting and car horns".

Another person wrote on Twitter: "Oh God, there's a fire in one of the high rise buildings in front of my house...."

A spokeswoman for the London Fire Brigade said the flat was completely destroyed.

She added: “Eight fire engines and 58 firefighters and officers were called to a fire in a flat in Leather Gardens, Stratford.

“A flat on the 17th floor was destroyed by fire. There were no reports of any injuries. Around 100 people left the building before the arrival of the Brigade.

“The Brigade's 999 Control Officers took 26 calls to the fire.

“The Brigade was called at 1.22am and the fire was under control at 2.52am. Fire engines from Stratford, Plaistow, Leyton, East Ham, Bethnal Green and surrounding fire stations attended the scene.

“The cause of the fire is under investigation.”